The Durai Papers
by Therederas
Summary: Ever wondered why the Church of Glabados did not destroy the Durai Papers? Here is a story, set fifty years later, where it is explained what happened to the papers and how they survived. Uses OC's for the whole cast.
1. Introduction

~50 years after the events at Mullonde

It was raining. Not one of those good, soft, drizzle rains that seemed as if the world was beginning anew. It was a hard, mournful rain that stirred chills deep in the bones of those standing outside.

One of those outside, Mirhalim, rivulets of water running down his rain-darkened hair, stood unmoving, barely listening to the chaplain as he took a quick glance at the sky. He shuddered, drawing his cloak closer to himself, and almost wondered what he was doing out here, as he stared at the grey sky. A sword was belted at his waist, this one purely ceremonial, unlike his functional one that had remained at home. It had a hilt overlaid with gold leaf and a pommel with a dragon's head with a ruby in its mouth. His gaze wandered to the monuments surrounding them on this plain, depictions of great heroes who had championed their house into greatness.

He brought his gaze back down to the black coffin, brilliantly embossed with gold in the crest of the occupant's house. His childhood friend's father had passed on, old age instead of wounds in battle as would have happened fifty years ago when the entire continent was embroiled in war. He sighed, almost longing for the days when his military training would have actually served some purpose. Nowadays minor conflicts still did occur but nobles were loathe to send their sons to such small skirmishes, so he had not applied his training. The best he could hope for in this day and age was bandit skirmishes.

The scene he was witnessing brought him back to his senses though. There was no glory in death, only an end that he had no idea where it would take him. He tried to believe the chaplain's sermon on his "uncle", as he called him despite the lack of blood relation, tried to believe he was in a place of perfection, but it was hard.

He shook some rain off himself and caught his friend, Rior, glancing at what he was doing. Rior had quickly turned his head back to the chaplain and stood beside his brothers, who towered over him by almost a head despite Rior being full-grown. He was average height but his brothers and father had all been tall men. He was five years the youngest son of his brothers but had two younger sisters who stood with his mother. His eldest brother, Seshuan, was approaching his thirtieth year and was preparing himself to lead the household. He was highly respected and expected to lead his house into great prosperity and Rior respected and idolized his eldest brother greatly. Mirhalim admired the man as well, his skills unparalleled amongst any he had seen. His father's death weighed heavily on Seshuan, however, as he was visibly distressed. So much was being put on his shoulders and he had not formally accepted the head of the house yet.

Mirhalim turned his gaze back to the aged priest standing at the casket and realized as he listened that the sermon was being concluded and the chaplain bowed his head and all others did so as well as he closed in a prayer to St. Ajora.

"... may you guide and keep the Illu household as a bastion against those who would seek to destroy, may the house continue now and forever in service to the nation, people, and church as it always has, may ..."

Mirhalim stopped listening again and looked over to Rior, Mirhalim's eyes being the only ones opened. He imagined his friend in reverent prayer as he always was when prayers were said and almost smiled to himself thinking about the concentration that always seemed to work its way into his face when he prayed as if he were trying to force something to happen. More drops than what was rained on him fell off his face, and Mirhalim suddenly felt guilty about not listening and re-bowed his head.

The chaplain concluded his prayers and Rior, Seshuan and their other brothers stepped forward and slowly lowered the coffin into the ground beneath an enormous monumental headstone. A marble statue of his uncle was above the deep hole in the ground, holding his knight sword aloft. How many battles had he wielded it in? How many times had he defended the church and country, not only with steel, but words as well. He had been the greatest of knights, even being appointed to fill the decimated ranks of Knight Templar after the war had left so few it almost ceased to exist for twenty-five long years. By then his uncle was already a great man, having helped King Delita re-weld the nations back together and was then appointed by the king to become a Knight Templar. He had become a great swordsman and in life had even been compared to Cidolfas Orlandeau in his prime.

There were many gathered at the funeral, coming from all across Ivalice. A complement of knights were bordering the whole funeral, and amongst the front row the shining armour of the Knight-Templars were plainly visible.

The coffin had been lowered into the ground and Seshuan stepped forth raising his father's sword and called for witnesses to the oath he would swear as his father had sworn. All of the people who had brought a sword, bearing one meant they were knights or at least training to be one, grounded their points and fell to one knee, staring at Seshuan, waiting for the words that went back into history.

Seshaun's voice boomed across the plain, easily heard by all "By St. Ajora, the mighty King, and before all these here assembled I swear this oath. I will be steadfast against the dark tide. I will guard Ivalice and its people. I will guard the king and all he stands for, in times of unification or times of divison. My house will guard against these things with me and I will guard my house. I will give honour to all and honour my house. My house shall serve Ajora's will and the churches. Those who challenge even the lowest of my house challenge me. May you all be witnesses as my words seal this oath."


	2. Yes He Has A Balcony

Three days after the funeral.

Mirhalim was deep in sleep when some small stones tapped the glass of the window by his balcony. Mournfully he awoke as it seemed that he had been dreaming of a great future filled with glory, and silently threatened dreadful retribution on the one that would awaken him from not only the dream, but at an hour that the sun had not risen yet.

Mirhalim covered his sleeping form with a cloak from a hook nearby his bed and then stood up and walked to the window, opening it almost with a slam.

"Rior what are you doing here at such an hour. Do you not think I value the night's sleep?"

Mirhalim only saw the top of his head and his red-brown hair from his balcony as it appeared that he was deeply engrossed in the observation of the ground.

"Speak or let me return to my bed. It is far warmer than this night" Mirhalim whispered out, suddenly conscious of the fact that the rest of the manse would be sleeping, save maybe the servants, and his youngest sister was in the room next to his.

Rior glared back at Mirhalim. "You are rather sore when you awake, you know. But ah well if you need these scant hours sleep so much that you would miss a chance to go out into this world to gain glory then perhaps I shall let you get that sleep you so desire." He looked and saw Mirhalim grow slightly pale and turned his back to the balcony. "Farewell" he added in a light tone.

"Now hold on ..." sputtered Mirhalim as Rior turned and walk into the night. He light out an angry, but restrained, growl and quickly sped about his room gathering up some clothes to wear and his sword, scribbled a hasty note on the spare parchment on his desk about where he was headed in case he didn't arrive home before the dawn. Despite his pass of manhood his parents still worried about their only son.

He ran over to the balcony and tossed his sword down first, no need of that getting in the way, and then hung on the banister and dropped to the ground, slightly rolling his ankle in the process but it only brought him pain for the first few steps as he raced after the direction Rior had headed.

He caught up quickly as Rior was walking so slowly, almost waiting for him. As he approached, slightly winded, Rior quipped at him.

"Well that was a rather quick rest. I suppose you must have not been so tired. I would surely hate to think that you would give up so precious a thing as a few moments sleep to accompany your friend."

Despite himself Mirhalim smiled.

"Truly I would not give up this rest except in your case since you so sorely need my accompaniment." Mirhalim had jested about a slightly sore spot to Rior but Rior still brought to bear a light smile and laughed, filling the garden they were walking through with its ringing echo.

"Too true, I think, my own skills in swordplay are somewhat weak. If we were waylaid perhaps I might 'accidentally' run you through and then run altogether"

Mirhalim almost laughed at that but held it to himself as he wondered what it would take to actually make Rior run. Despite his faults in martial combat he still stood up to the others who were much more skilled than him and did not falter. This, to him, was far more worthy than those who struck a defensive effort against a stronger opponent and look to flee at any time. It had, however, earned Rior many a decisive loss against stronger opponents, who seemed to believe the lesser should cower in fear beneath their skills. There were only a few who saw such dedication as worth encouragement, or even recognized it at all.

The air fell silent for long minutes as both young men looked deep in thought. Rior was staring off at the horizon, barely even watching where he was going. The only noise was the slight wind brushing through the branches and an occasional early bird calling out its claim on the tree it sat. The sun was near rising, the clouds turning the deep red that heralded the morning. It was not quite as early as Mirhalim had thought, but still far earlier then he would normally rise.

Mirhalim pulled back and put his hands behind his head in an exaggerated pose of relaxation and broke the silence with a question. "So what is it we must do? Slay dragons? Rescue a maiden from a tower? Perhaps single handedly fight an army to a standstill?"

Rior shook his head "Nothing so noble, although one wonders if you did it if it could ever be called 'noble'. Rather my father's will has left a task for each of his sons. We could not each see the others' tasks except Seshuan was permitted to look through all of ours and provide us with the resources we need. My task is but a delivery, rather inglorious compared to what I had imagined when I first heard, I must say. But still, perhaps in the completion of this I could prove myself and be allowed to head a complement like all my brothers. And it is a journey, which I could not pass up, even were it not my father's last commands."

Mirhalim listened thoughtfully. "A simple delivery? This is what Rior has awakened me for?" he muttered silently. Out loud he spoke after "So what is it we will be delivering?"

"Would you believe a princess who seems to be unable to contain herself in waiting for you?" A slight grin slowly lit up Rior's face as he spoke.

He almost bit, but managed to contain his disbelief. "What is it really, oh so noble Rior"

"I have no idea."

"Well then I will pretend it is a princess until I learn otherwise" he replied, grinning the whole while.


	3. The Papers

~A half hour later

"This is decidedly not a princess." Mirhalim grumbled at the sheaf of age stained parchment that Seshuan had set on the solid oaken desk.

Seshuan eyed him suspiciously.

"You had to have been there, brother" Rior said and Seshuan dropped his gaze, looking once again at the pile of parchment.

"So why am I being allowed to participate in this unknown quest when such secrecy is to be had even amongst your own family members?" Mirhalim asked Seshuan with a slight amount of disbelief in his voice.

"Rior will be travelling far with this document, and I thought not to send him with experienced knights that would look as if they were guarding something of import, thus attracting attention. You are the closest among the young knights I will send with you to Rior and thus will be his second and will carry out his duty of deliverance if he should be incapacitated. That is why you must know about these. However you may not read these papers nor will you, Rior, be allowed to read them. I will rather tell you all you need to know about them."

Seshuan paused, getting his breath and stroked his light-blond beard.

"They were written over the past few decades and are a collection of heresy, simply reading them now is punishable by law, unless allowed by high ranking members of the clergy, and the man who has written them has been burnt as a heretic."

"Then why haven't these writings been burnt!" shouted Rior "The heresy in them should be purged!"

"They would have, had a mistake not been made in the trial." Seshuan responded, trying to calm Rior down. "Just before the trial a new law had been introduced by King Delita that said that any writings done by nobles contains on them a death sentence to any who destroys the writings. It was supposed to stop the burning of tax statements that seems to happen every so often. Nowadays they have understood that law and in heretical trials simply strip the man of his title and then destroy his work, but then they did not know and as a man attempted to set fire to the papers a king's knight brought up the point of law and prevented the burning. The heretic, Olan Durai a conspirator with the heretic Ramza, was still a noble when he was burnt at the stake. Our father, one of the juror Knight-Templars, claimed responsibility for holding onto the work so that they would not profane the halls of any sacred building they would be stored in."

A now much calmer Rior asked his brother "Where then will we take them?"

"I do not know. Your specific instructions are in the envelope on the desk to its right"

The envelope was stained deep with age and sealed with three distinct seals. One, of house Illu, showed the sun and the Illu crest in it. The other two neither recognized. One was two wolves fighting for dominance and the other was a seal of the church but what the specific seal was different than any they had seen before.

"Why the three seals brother?" Rior asked, after some time of staring at the envelope.

"These appear to be the three groups that sealed the instructions of the bearer. They are the bearer's seal, ours, the churches, though I have never seen this specific seal before, and a witness, another seal that seems to lurk on the edge of my memory. Perchance opening will bring about more knowledge but I would ask that you not open these instructions in anyone's presence, as well as not opening them till you are ready to set out."

"So we should gather the knights first then Seshuan?" Mirhalim asked, despite seeming to already know the answer in his eyes

"Yes, Mirhalim. You also must not tell these knights that you choose the instructions in the letter, even if they ask most pointedly about it." Seshuan sat back in his chair and folded his hands on his chest "Now stop asking questions you already know the answers too and get ready to leave. You should depart in a maximum of three days from now".

With that he ushered them out the room he had briefed them in and one of Rior's other brothers, Jemrik, went in fully armoured. In his hand he carried a knight-sword, brilliantly embossed with gold runes. It was Rior's father's sword, obviously his task had something to do with it.

Rior whispered to him as he was staring at the magnificence of the sword, even sheathed as it was, "So have any ideas about who to bring with us?"

Mirhalim put his hands behind his head and replied "I can definitely think of who I don't want to bring. I have a few ideas, but I'd rather wait till we get to the field. Besides we don't even know if they will accept when we ask them."

"Who wouldn't take such an opportunity?"

"I wouldn't know myself, but I'm sure someone in the barracks would refuse"

Rior tried changing the topic with Mirhalim "So you ever seen those seals before?"

"I only recognized your house's seal, other than that I have no idea. Probably just some branch of the church, and perhaps a superior Knight-Templar's seal."

"Maybe the letter will tell us."

"Maybe." Mirhalim paused, "So this is your grand quest? Delivery boy? It's better than nothing, and I suppose it gets us out of the hardest month of training. Pretty much everyone will clamour to come and skip that. You have any ideas about who to ask to tag along?"

"I'm thinking maybe Cape. He is really good, you know."

"Too good. Besides, he is the only one I think that would enjoy remaining here to train."


	4. The Cape And The Spear

**I do not own Final Fantasy Tactics, Square Enix does.**

The next morning

"So your brother says we can pull any five knights to take with us?" Mirhalim asked as he and Rior strolled towards the practice field.

"Yes and he also mentioned that we should take one who has either knowledge in the curative magics or potions in the likely case we have to fight, at the very least, monsters. He also hinted that there will be heretics out there who will want these writings so we should try to lie low in the cities. "He paused glancing at the now recognizable figures on the field, sparring in groups ranging from two to twenty-four. His eyes narrowed for a second as he looked carefully at a knight clearly dominating a fight, against the odds, that had turned two-on-one against him. "I think that might be Syrento over there, I recognize his ostentatiously embroidered cape."

Mirhalim looked carefully at the blond-haired fighter that had just struck down one of the men against him with a crack to the head from his wooden practice sword. He saw the cape that Rior had mentioned, the cape that had gained Syrento the nickname Cape, the nickname that had gained even further precedence when, in a fight with an instructor, had one of the clasps broken so it flung loose when he turned flying into the instructors face and obscuring his view long enough that Syrento managed the equivalent of a killing blow. That fight had descended into legend in the barracks and became massively embellished.

It was a pure white with an ornate gold scrollwork border and in the center of the back was a depiction of Syrento's house seal, three doves flying, holding a thorny branch, also inscribed in gold but somewhat darker than the scrollwork so it was visible from a distance. Mirhalim remembered the message behind the house seal "Peace always draws blood"

Syrento easily finished the fight by the time Mirhalim and Rior approached him, having drawn the opponents blow with a feinted blow of his own and disarming him with the edge of his shield as he recovered. His cape billowed in the light breeze, making the doves seem as if they really were taking flight. Sweat dripped down his hair and his breathing came hard as he asked, jokingly "What are you slackers doing on the practice field. I thought on your leave you would be enjoying yourselves idling around. Perhaps you have finally been enlightened to the true way leave should be spent."

Mirhalim sighed and said in a rather sarcastic "We have finally been enlightened to your perfect ways, O perfect Sir Cape, and humbly submit ourselves to your most rigorous training and punishment we do so justly deserve to hopefully reach some aspect of your perfection. Forgive my trespass or show your displeasure on my friend rather than me for I have far too many bruises from losing to you on this very field."

"I rather think you could have done without the 'O perfect Sir Cape' but you are improving ignoble boor" Syrento replied cracking a smile as he tried to contain his laughter. "Truthfully though what are you doing here?"

"We have come to find knights to accompany us on a journey. Our long search has ended though as all the hordes of monsters will surely not prevail against the perfect Sir Cape and his noble sword" Rior said, smiling and aping Mirhalim's tone in the perfect Sir Cape part.

"Well I wouldn't quite go that far. I might need you two to help against one or two of the monsters." He paused brushing his hair out of his face and his green eyes shone out questioningly "What kind of journey?"

"A sort of perilous one, I suppose, more than that my brother has forbidden me to say."

"I see. Well how many knights are you bringing?"

"Well with you on the team we will only need four more" Mirhalim spoke out with an odd tone in his voice

"How many with a different knight instead of me?"

"Three"

The three sat in the dust on the training field discussing the other knights to bring and they narrowed it down to eight potentials, all they had known during their novitiate.

"So we need someone with healing skills" Syrento said staring at the list of candidates so that will either be Alexander or Ganner, both have skills in potions.

"Another will need some skill with the bow and we have four knights here with some skill Jeihd being the best but his sword lacks and the other three are rather close: Erren, Ceil, and Will.

"I would like a scout as well Syrento" Rior mumbled almost incoherently as he also stared at the list "The ones with most physical conditioning are Aela and Erren. They both can easily run without stop for hours and have fairly keen eyesight."

"How about the food? We need someone who can cook decently" Mirhalim chipped in "I would hate to go on this trip with only rations."

"The only ones food from this bunch that I'd eat is Ganner's." Syrento replied, moving his mouth in something Mirhalim thought was disgust.

"Well that's one spot filled" chimed Rior, writing down a name on a blank sheet of parchment to his right. "Only three more to go"

"The strong swordfighters in this list are: Aela, Navar, even though he uses a spear, and Don."

"And finally those who have a light skill at the black magics: Ceil and Alexander" continued Syrento

"Now", said Mirhalim "I say we take Ciel, Navar, and Aela"

"I agree with Ceil and Aela, Mirhalim, but I think Don is a far better fighter than Navar" Rior said, already filling in Aela and Ceil on his list.

"Why not have them fight and take the better of the two? But I suppose none of them even compare to me so your glorious minds must be making some comparisons without taking evidence. Oh how I wish I could do such a thing." Syrento smiled lightly at his own joke.

The three of them walked to the barracks and approached Navar's room where he would be sleeping in readiness that he had the first watch of the night. Knocks on the door weren't responded to so they went around to the window.

"You know this reminds me of an event not so long ago in my past. Someone with wool-for-brains decided it would be a good idea to wake me up in the middle of some of the finest sleep I had" grumbled Mirhalim in an oddly jovial tone.

"I am already regretting ever having done so. I do not know what brought me to wake you up but sadly I am stuck with you now."

"Well I get to wake him up this time around. I should get to share the pain after all"

"Why would either of you want Navar angry at you? I am sure he could beat you from one end of the field to the other. I should get the dubious honour. After all it seems to be so rare that I get a real challenge" Syrento replied dryly.

So the three of them approached the eastern barracks window and Syrento rapped on the window. Navar answered the wakeup call with a not so playful punch after a seeming civil bit of speech to Syrento and told them he would get Don himself and meet them on the practice field.

The three wandered back and watched as the sun approached late-afternoon and they all reminisced about the barracks life, mostly complaining about the food, until Navar and Don showed up each clad in just a light tunic and breeches. Navar's bright red hair and tanned face with his blue eyes contrasted Don's Dark brown hair and pale face, despite spending so much time in the sun, along with his green eyes. Don carried a two-handed greatsword, or the training version of one, and Navar carried a buckler on his right arm and his "spear" in his left which was really a staff with a heavy wooden block on end to simulate a spear.

"I will act as the observer for the killing blows. Since you have decided a total of three rounds you will fight until a killing blow is delivered twice by one side. If you have need of respite you both know the signals." Syrento paused, having spoken in his most officious tone "Now begin!"

Both fighters immediately took a light step backwards to invite the rush and when none came they began to test one another's defences with feints and lighter, easily withdrawn strikes and in Navar's case what could only be called prods.

To the fight a minor crowd had been gathered since there were already three standing there watching as it was. Some even began to make bets on the rounds or fight as a whole. Rior glumly realized that it was not any display of skill that had drawn them but rather the fact that Cape was watching them.

The major part of the fight was underway as now it was definitely getting more heated. Navar delivered a lightning quick blow to knees of Don. In a risky gambit Don tried to leap over the spear and crack Navar in the skull. However Navar was ready for it and brought his buckler up to meet Don's greatsword. Turning the blow aside Navar brought the spear up and caught Don across the side with it, but it was just a graze and Syrento did not remark it as a killing blow. Don approached on the offense again and again was met by Navar's buckler and he delivered a solid hit to Don's head with his buckler. They both separated out of the opponents range and paused.

"You're not bad Navar, I might actually have to try against you. Been a while since I've fought someone with your technical skills. However technique is the weakest point of the triangle and you have spent too much time with it. Strength shall overwhelm you!" Don said, his voice rising to a thunder at the end.

"All points are equal. Technique is not better or worse than your strength. But you are weaker than me and thus your strength is less than my technique. Prepare yourself," Navar spoke coolly and smoothed his hair back.

With that they resumed combat. Heavy blows from Don rained on Navar but he brushed them off with seeming ease, but it was apparent to Mirhalim that he was wearing down. A quick stroke from Don almost caught Navar in the side but he did something that Mirhalim had only seen Syrento do, as the second part of the stroke came down to where his head would be Navar smoothly blocked it and slid like a snake into a close range and delivered a heavy hit with his elbow to Dons sword arm. In a cry of pain Don dropped his sword to the ground and Navar delivered the finishing blow while Don was still falling to the ground. Cheers went up from the watching crowd, and the ones who had bet on Don seemed thoroughly unimpressed.

"A little opening, a thousand solutions. Leaving yourself open to a physical strike in the midst of the fight is very sloppy. Where is your strength now?"

Syrento resumed the next round as Don, infuriated by Navar's comment, said nothing. Don was quick to press the offense and was quickly forcing Navar back. Navar moved his shield to take most of the blows but Don seemed to have a different plan. He struck the top of the shield with what seemed like enough might to shatter stone and the leather straps holding Navar's hand to the buckler snapped and a clear popping sound, Navar's right shoulder dislocating, seemed to echo through the grounds. Even had the leather straps been iron the shield would have been unusable as its metal ring surrounding was broken and the shield itself was cleft past the center. A gasp spread out among the onlookers, barely hearable from the sound of the snapping shield.

Navar's right arm hung useless by his side but his left was still working to defend himself, but it clearly was overtaxing him. Don quickly became the victor of the second round, finishing Navar with a cruel blow to the head.

"Your arm is useless now Navar. My strength has devastated your technique. Without your arm to block for you, your spear is useless without the shield. My sword has no weakness, no weaker piece. It is all strength!" He took a breath and said "Give it up I've won".

"Well it wouldn't be sporting to give you your chance to truly defeat me so why not go again? Let's have another round."

Syrento started the third round, keeping an eye on Navar's shoulder as he did. The fight began seeming to go the way the previous one had ended. Don pressed the attack and Navar had to defend, using his spear almost as a quarterstaff. Don struck in the same pattern as he had in the first round, baiting Navar to try to strike a spot that was no longer open. And he took it, lunging in, smiling all the while. Smiling as Don's fist went where his face should be and instead cracked into the wood of the practice spear as it hit his practice sword in the join of hilt and blade, cracking it into two pieces as the blade part fell to the ground and Don held only the hilt, an astonished look on his face. Smiling as he delivered the poke to Don's chest that ended the round.

"Don, only a fool crushes the defense when, instead, by crushing the offense you can rid an opponent of their greatest strength. You strike that which blocks and I would strike that which attacks. It leaves me with a spear and you with nothing. Breaking an opponent's weapon is the epitome of technique. But you baited it yourself, leaving an obvious trap that none in their right mind would believe. Have fun in your inequity." Navar left Don gasping back his wind and smoothed back his red hair, his blue eyes sparkling in the sun.

"Excellent fight Navar, I might have to spar with you someday soon. But for now I suppose you win the last spot. " Syrento paused and shifted his bright cape "But with your injury do you still want to come?" he gestured at Navar's shoulder.

"I think its just dislocated, not that big a deal. I'll definitely come along. After all with you with these guys they might need some help to detract from your shining brilliance, Cape."

"Excellent then" Mirhalim said walking up and slapping Navar on the shoulder "Let's gather the others and head off then." He stopped, staring at Navar's glare and then his own hand. "Oh right" he managed to blurt out before Navar punched him solidly in the stomach, leaving him gasping for air the same way Don had.

**This originally was two chapters but one of them was really short so I just slammed them together. Hope it is decent my 1 reader!**

**This fight always seemed manga-ey to me but don't worry! The next one isn't like it at all I promise!**


	5. The Others

About an hour later everyone had gathered in a smaller briefing room in the barracks. Aela stood in the corner, taller than everyone but Navar and probably close to even height with Syrento. She had blonde-white hair that was cut just past her shoulders. Syrento was openly staring at her but seemed in ponderance of something other than her appearance. Ganner was the next Mirhalim saw as his eyes swept through the room. Ganner appeared every bit the chemist with a blue coat on and a long-barrelled gun on his back and a small blue hat on his head that he called a thief's cap.

Mirhalim's eyes browsed over the appearance of Syrento, Navar, and Rior noting nothing other than they were in their full armours and Navar had three spears in an oddly large quiver slung over the chair he was sitting on.

Ciel had an actual quiver on her chair, filled with blue-black fletched arrows. She had smooth raven black hair down almost to her waist and piercing grey eyes that seemed to burn a hole through Mirhalim as he walked in late.

"About time" grumbled Ganner, with a surprisingly deep voice quickly followed by a lighter but far more harsh "You're late" from Ciel.

"Well I got held up... " Mirhalim started but was interrupted by Rior finishing his sentence.

"... with my precious missed sleep" Rior said, suppressing a grin that quickly turned serious.

"Alright then. You have all agreed to come already while Mirhalim was ... 'held up' despite the limited information I can tell you about what we are doing. However I can tell you all where we are headed. We are going to go to Lionel, however we are going to travel the route through Dugeura Pass. It will be a long journey since apparently we are to take the less travelled roads to avoid attention. You all generally know what you are here for but hopefully it will not be required to come into action. You have all been given leave to join us and all the necessary supplies are accounted for. Also on a slight matter of assignments Ganner will be doing the cooking not you Aela, since you so seem to enjoy poisoning those who eat your food." Aela started from the corner, about to speak when Rior raised his hand "Just checking to make sure you're still alive there. Your cooking isn't that bad. There haven't been any fatalities yet after all."

"I could beat you across the practice field, boy, if you keep this up." Aela responded, pulling up a chair to the table with the rest.

"Now any questions? Other than anything about what we are doing?" Rior finished.

"Well I want to know if Ganner can actually use that gun or is just carrying it around for the look. I've never seen him practice with it after all." asked Ciel, obviously worrying about her status as the long range specialist.

"Well not particularly amazingly right now but I am learning. It's more about the impression it gives that of a full chemist who can pick off a shot in the midst of applying salves to wounds. I'm sure it will make at least one opponent think twice."

"Until they see you shoot once." Navar grumbled, shifting his oddly winged helmet that didn't cover his face, "Don't use it near me, I really would not enjoy a hole through the back of my head"

"So when do we leave then?" asked Aela

"Tomorrow morning at an hour past dawn. Should give you all enough time to ready yourselves. I have already commissioned some supplies as well as spare chocobo to carry them."

Rior said, and then stood up from the table "Be ready, I won't wait for anyone." he paused and continued, staring at Mirhalim, "That means you too Mirhalim."

"Can't wait" Ciel added in "Chances to prove oneself seem far in between these days. Let's hope we get to at least deal with somebody or something I can feather."

"Don't hope for trouble, I'd prefer not having to waste potions on your cold corpses when you meet someone who outmatches you." Ganner quipped back, standing to follow Rior. The rest quickly joined and then left the briefing room and returned to their rooms and the commission station to get either weapons for the journey or the gil to purchase some.

Mirhalim met Aela at the military commission later that night, where she had already purchased a spare sword and buckler and was now haggling over a bronze breastplate and a pair of sturdy looking boots. She finally laid out a large bag of gil down on the counter and the clerk began counting it as Mirhalim walked up.

"So we will be travelling together then Aela? You know it could be quite dangerous out there."

"Yes you should be very careful to take care of yourself. After all, besides Ganner, who heals us, and Rior, who leads, you are probably the worst fighter among us." Aela smirked and picked up the breastplate beneath her arm and threw the boots over her shoulder.

"Gahh" Mirhalim muttered "That hurt.... right to the core".

"It was meant to." she said and then began to walk down the hallway, smiling all the while.

Mirhalim sighed and then approached the clerk speaking partially to himself and partially to the clerk "I hope I'll have better luck finding what I need here than with her."

"Probably not if you are looking for a sword. She took the last one." the clerk said. Mirhalim thought she seemed to be smiling like Aela had.

Mirhalim paused in silence and then finally, after another sigh, asked "Well then what do you have in the way of weaponry?"

The clerk went back into the storeroom and looked around for a short time before coming back out. "There are a few short blades, knives really, left, a broken axe, a spear and a chain flail."

Mirhalim put his face into his palm and then said "Just get me the flail. It will have to do, I suppose. Hopefully I won't have to replace my sword anyways. So what do you have in the way of armour?"

"All I have is a set of leather that works almost as well and is cheaper." She spotted Mirhalim's grimace and continued "Well what do you expect being the last one of your group to purchase your gear. We have low supplies as it is. However I do have a fine pair of boots that you could buy."

"Alright then" he said and began to pay the clerk, feeling as if he had gotten a distinctly poor deal and then tucked the leather cuirass under his shoulder and the flail over it then left to his room.

He met Ganner on the way back, despite trying to avoid anyone he knew. He had purchased or had a knife before as one was now buckled at his right side along with the gun on his back. A Romada Pistol he had remembered, not much good it would do if he didn't know how to shoot it. He was busy wondering if Ganner could even use the knife either and trying to brush past him when Ganner said "Hey you know how to use a flail? Looks rather difficult when I see people training with them on the field. Looks like it could cause the user quite a bit of injury."

Mirhalim bit his lip and then decided to lie "Yah I know how to use one, at least somewhat decently, but I much prefer my sword. This is just in case my sword gets broken or something like that."

"Hmm. That's a good idea I suppose. Not much use for me though as if I am on the frontlines fighting steel to steel I am doing something wrong." He gestured to his knife "I can barely use this either but it definitely helps to set people to thinking twice before they attack me."

"Ganner, hate to ask this, but are you not right-handed?"

"I am. Why?"

"I think you are supposed to draw from the left if you are right handed" Mirhalim spoke quietly, pointing at the sheathed knife on Ganner's belt.

"Ahh that sounds like a good idea. I'll fix it when I go back to my room." With that Ganner left. Especially glad, since Ganner would have been the only one of his companions not to wonder why he had purchased what he had, Mirhalim walked the few paces down the hall and into his room to try to get some sleep before the disaster he imagined tomorrow being.

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**Hurrah the fifth chapter is up! I hope my two readers like the other characters. (Is jumping for joy at the prospect of having two readers now!)**

**Review if you feel like it, I don;t mind what you say.  
**


	6. Leaving

The next morning

Mirhalim lay staring at the ceiling of his room in the barracks. It was not long till dawn and he was trying to force himself to leave the bed. Rolling out onto the floor he somehow managed to land on the flail he had discarded on the floor. The sharp pain through his back brought him awake quickly and he stared out the window at the first light of the rising sun. A tingling feeling ran through him as he grew excited about the journey ahead. Nervousness also clutched his heart, mainly from Aela's words the previous night, but he convinced himself that there would be little, if any, fighting on the way. After all they were just delivering papers.

He readied himself quickly, as he thought he probably was the last one awake this day. He idly wondered, while attempting to buckle his leather cuirass, if Rior had even slept the night. After all it was him who had organized this all and it was his task to keep everything together, every minute detail. He took a deep breath to calm himself again, finally managing to buckle together his armour.

He slammed his sword into its sheath, laced his new boots and then, completely ready, he stared at the flail on the ground. Shrugging his shoulders he picked it up and threw it over his shoulders, which he promptly regretted after in delivered a nasty crack to his shoulder blade.

"Piece of junk, I should just leave it behind. I'll only embarrass myself with it anyways." he sighed, already regretting the choice he was about to make. "Well I spent money on it, might as well bring it along."

Leaving the room he encountered Rior, who had a room near his, his eyes shining too brightly for this early in the morning Mirhalim decided.

"Rior, so good to see you at this accursed hour. You look as if you had a far better nights rest than I did. And here I was worrying about you and your lack of sleep you may have been getting. Hah!"

Rior turned towards him, eyes meeting his, and spoke softly "You know other people sleep at this hour. But it is good to see you this morning. I didn't get a real chance to speak with you last night." Rior looked at Mirhalim and absently tapped his own metal armour. "I trust you found everything you needed?"

Mirhalim bit off a retort about not having found anything he needed and responded with a nod of his head.

"Good, I hope you will be finished getting ready soon as we are meeting within the half hour at the South Gate. Hurry up." With that Rior left to the northern exit of the barracks, adjusting his sheathed sword in one motion as he opened the door out.

Mirhalim had nothing else to do really so he headed to the South Gate after about a minute so it did not look completely like he was following Rior. He was not the first one there, but neither was Rior. Navar and Syrento stood there already and Navar even looked as if he had been at the South Gate since the night. As Mirhalim's eyes glided over Syrento he sighed. Couldn't he have just left the cape behind? And why did it seem to ripple perfectly even in the heavy wind? None of the other three at the gate wore a cape, for most it was a ceremonial thing, but for Syrento it seemed to be as important as his sword.

Ganner was not far behind Mirhalim, himself, almost as if he had done the same thing Mirhalim had done in following Rior. However Mirhalim was glad to see that he had the dagger belted on his left this time. Despite the heavy wind Ganner still wore his ridiculous hat, his only concession being a hand to hold it on his head.

Aela and Ciel were the last two and they walked together to where the group was waiting. Ciel's longbow was unstrung and taller than her when it was and she carried a quiver bristling with arrows. Aela was carrying an odd kit for her that would help in the making of arrows in case Ciel ran out.

While waiting, Mirhalim recalled the opening the instructions with Rior, from before the meeting with all the knights. As they broke the three seals on the envelope, written years earlier. In it was a letter addressed to whoever opened it:

_Greetings, one of the Illu house._

_I wish this letter could greet you under better circumstances. Since the one who opens this will only do so upon the death of Temrahi, though writing this now I cannot see that happening. However I suppose instructions must be relayed and his death will come to pass. These papers are written by the heretic Orran Durai detailing the journey of another heretic, one Ramza Beoulve. That house is now gone and all in this report has been declared false, Delita himself reading it and proclaiming its lack of truth. However in this report there are many things that are true. Ramza led a dangerous group of heretics who abandoned the church. They stole the legendary zodiac stones from across the world and disappeared with them, keeping them from mankind during its need of them. Now, under an irrevocable ruling from Delita these papers cannot be burned or everyone and their relations to those who convicted Orran at the trial will be executed. So this must be taken and sealed in the Library at Lionel. The information these papers contain is dangerous and almost seductive in their tones. Many things the church has kept hidden that would be dangerous for normal man to know are written plainly in these pages. So take these safely and let none of the accursed pages be seen. The curator at the library will know what the seal of the church on this page means. _

_Perhaps slightly dangerous to be known but with Temrahi's death all the houses involved with this trial will know that these papers are free. There may be some who would try to stop you, heretics themselves fallen from Ajora's grace. So make haste and trust none who claim to know what you are doing, or seek to join you. Reveal this letter only to the curator, who will either be a close friend of your fathers or his son. He is the only one you can trust._

_Companion to the knight Templar Temrahi,_

_Jenvik  
_

Mirhalim snapped out of remembering the letter as Rior appeared behind him, leading a chocobo for each of them and one for their packs. One of them stamped its talon and cried loudly. He managed to surprise them as they all did not notice he had even left.

"Well I hope you all are not this silent on the way out because this promises to be a long journey."


	7. Followed!

About a day on the road

Back in the Yardrow barracks.

Don was walking back, aching, from the practice field where an instructor, who had watched his loss against Navar and had apparently bet on Don, decided to take his frustration out on him. Two other students were on his sides, both fairly skilled swordsmen.

"Gahh, why do those ones get special privilege anyways? Leaving during the hardest months to gallivant across Ivalice!" Don grumbled to his nearby companions.

One of them made some motion to reply when Don cut him off "I was not expecting an answer. You weren't even there Tainor. Why did they bring Mirhalim anyways if they wanted strong fighters. Rior is decent in areas other than the sword at least and Ganner is a chemist but Mirhalim is just a sub-par swordsman. I should be there instead of him!" He slammed a leather gauntleted fist into the inside barracks wall. Don didn't even notice, until he punched the wall, that they had arrived in the barracks.

He stopped moving, and so did his companions. There was a student blocking the way down the hallway. On purpose it seemed to him. He had darker hair and piercing eyes but that was all Don saw as he was covered in a heavy, shifting cloak.

"Hey you, new student, get out of the way and let your betters pass, unless you want to get thrashed!" Don put his hand on the hilt of his real sword threateningly.

"Where did they go?" the voice coming from the student seemed hollow and Don almost took a step back. He wasn't afraid of this student's bravado but yet he still answered.

"Who?"

The student took a step forward, he had no weapon Don realized. How did he think this was going to turn out if he couldn't defend himself? He spoke, his voice less hollow but still chilling. "The one you fought with, with the spear. Tell me where did his group go?"

"If anyone follows them it will be me!" Don shouted, and then regained his composure "Now, now your tone bothers me. Tainor, Therederas teach him some manners. And get him out of my way."

Both of Don's companions drew their practice swords and rushed at the student. As they approached the student stood still. Thererederas swung his sword towards him and he grasped the sword between his hands as it swung down and then delivered a light punch to Therederas' chest. Both Tainor and Therederas backed away slightly to re-evaluate their opponent. A cruel smile lit up the student's face.

"Well then let's see if you can try that trick with a real sword!" Therederas drew his real blade and rushed forward as the student examined the back of his hand.

Therederas's sword flashed in the light and then, suddenly, he stopped. Blood ran in rivulets from his mouth as he coughed, spurting more blood, and collapsed.

"Damn! Is he a magic user? Don, pull out your sword I don't think --" Tainor cut off as the ground suddenly erupted, throwing him headfirst into the stone wall. Don could see he had at least cracked his skull as blood rushed out to soak his blond hair.

"Now where did they go? Or are you ready to die alongside your friends?" the black cloaked student said, still examining his hand.

"What did you do to them? Some kind of black magic? No matter, I am on a whole different level than them. And I still will not answer you. It is I who will follow" He pulled in his mantle; the shopkeeper had said it was a good defence against magic "Prepare your last prayer to Ajora, mage!" Don unsheathed his greatsword from his back with a steel hiss and moved in an erratic pattern towards the one in the black cloak.

"It is not magic, child. Only skill." he disappeared and Don shook his head around to look when he was knocked down from behind by a shoulder.

"You call that skill? Disappearing? That looks like magic to me!" Don swung his sword down on him but, repeating what he had done to Alexander, the one in the black cloak caught it in midair. He threw a mighty fist that Don managed to dodge, but somehow it knocked Don into the wall, despite not even touching him with it.

"One last time... If you do not answer I will finish you." The ground erupted in front of Don's slumped body. "Where are they headed?" he finished.

In between coughs Don choked out "The south gate.... They left by the south gate..." and coughed up a bit more blood. "Now help me ... please."

The black cloaked soldier turn away from Don as he lifted out his hand and reached under his cloak, finding the hilt of his blade and grabbed hold of it strongly, feeling his power flow through it. His anger fueled the sword, he had been to late. Now he would have to chase them and he was already behind.

"Such a waste to use this on you but I am afraid you can't live to tell anyone." He unsheathed his blade an inch under his cloak and chanted "Darkness in my heart, flow through my sword! Crushing Blow!" Don's eyes widened as an aura of darkness settled around him, the only thing that pierced it was an agonizing scream. The soldier fell to a knee and hacked heavily and a small bit of blood left his mouth.

"I need ... those papers. The south gate you said?" He stood up shakily, staring over to where Don had been. All that was left was a stain on the floor.

**Woohoo I got killed! Sort of took that idea from a friend who gets himself, under different names, killed in quite a few of his stories. **

**The Antagonist Cometh. Hopefully this fight is better than the Navar/Don one through writing, even if its a little short. Now if you can name all the skills/attacks used in this fight you win a cookie***

***cookie not guaranteed to exist :(**


	8. Leveling Up!

Back on the road ~ the same time

"Syrento I can not believe you were actually right about this guy" Mirhalim said clapping Ganner on the shoulder as they sat around a campfire "His cooking is very good. Best I've had in a while anyways."

Aela sniffed "It is adequate, I suppose." she seemed to almost be snubbing the meal. Perhaps, Mirhalim thought, Rior's comment still lay heavily on her.

"Adequate? I don't think I've had better at the fort. Even Navar seems to like it and until now I didn't even think he ate!" said Ciel

"It is rather good, Ganner" Navar spoke quietly from the far edge of the fire. Ciel had been right and even now Navar had obviously taken the least of the food amongst them.

"Your thanks mean oh so much, all of you" Ganner smiled and bowed with a deep flourish, and somehow managed to lose his hat from his head as he bowed which sent them all into laughter.

A noise came from the bushes and immediately Aela, Syrento and Navar were on their feet while Mirhalim sat and Ganner was still bent over picking up his hat.

"It's just me" grumbled Rior "However we may have a problem. Put out the fire and come with me." Mirhalim sighed and stood, re-belting his sword. He knew it would be on Rior's watch that the problems would happen. Rior motioned them to follow him as he disappeared back into the bushes.

As they trundled as quietly as they could through the bushes, following Rior, and came to the a spot where he bade them, quietly, to stop and look over a small knoll they could hide behind as well as look at the same time.

"Monsters," whispered Ciel "Goblins to be specific. An excellent chance for some entertainment". She was already rubbing the fletching of one of her arrows.

"Wouldn't it be more prudent to let them go without a fight?" asked Ganner, he was fingering his knife while he spoke. Mirhalim hoped he would not stab himself with it.

"Sadly, Ganner, that is not the case. Look at the direction they are headed. In about fifteen or twenty minutes they will stumble upon our campsite, despite us putting out the fire." Syrento whispered, quickly grasping the situation.

"Guess we fight then." Aela whispered, looking around.

"Yes that is our tactic this time," said Rior "But we have to go about it carefully. They do outnumber us and it is our first real combat. I have faith in all of your abilities. However before we get into the fight can you narrow the odds a little bit Ciel?"

"Gladly" she replied, smiling as she knocked an arrow, drew it to her ear, and let it fly striking a goblin hard in the shoulder, spinning as he fell.

The sound of the rest of them drawing their swords in unison sounded ridiculously loud to Mirhalim as all the goblins turned to where the arrow was fired from. Ciel loosed another but missed completely, muttering an oath Mirhalim was sure no one was supposed to hear. Syrento got into a fight with three of them at once, his cape twirling as he delivered crippling strikes to all of them, as well as taking a heavy punch in the head. Navar meanwhile had already made quick work of one in a jumping lunge from the hill, spearing him through.

Mirhalim had to stop watching the others as he found himself face to face with one and fighting for all he was worth. He took a spinning fist that almost ended it all when the goblin jumped on him after he was knocked down by it, but he managed to stumble back up and, when the goblin dashed towards him again, he sidestepped and laid open the goblin's back as he lunged past him. Blood spurted from the wound as it fell down, never to stand again.

The rest were finishing up the last goblin as he saw them again, Rior hurled a stone with remarkable accuracy as it ran away, knocking it down for the rest to finish. Rior had won his own match with a goblin. Aela, Navar, and Ciel had managed to take down two a piece while Syrento had defeated four. He had taken a crushing blow to the chest however, where Ganner was now rubbing a potion, watching the wound heal and scab quickly. Ganner had been conspicuously far away during the fighting itself but was now checking the others for wounds.

"You are like a true knight out there on the field Syrento. I do not think I ever had the privilege of watching you fight before, but now I can see your reputation is truly deserved." Aela said after walking towards him and clapping him on the shoulder and giving him a smile. Mirhalim grimaced. Four! He had enough trouble with one. Cape was unbelievable.

"What about the guy healing his wounds? Is he not a true knight for dedication to the injured?" asked Ganner after wrapping his side with bandage. He tightened them with a sudden jerk, making Syrento grunt in surprise.

"Perhaps if that same one were not so absent from the fight itself." whispered Aela, purposely loud enough to be heard.

Navar looked up from wiping off his spear "Well at least he didn't shoot any of us in the back of the head".

**Hey I suddenly managed to gain a ton of readers while I had the flu. Hope you enjoy the somewhat filleresque chapter I managed to eke out between fevers.**


	9. Learning

On the road again

"Come on you guys, at least attempt to give me a challenge." Syrento had just parried both Mirhalim's and Rior's sword slashes. He finished Mirhalim with a cut to the back as he overswung and Rior with a quick succession of direct strikes at his sword to knock it out of his hand. Mirhalim sat up from the ground and sighed. Despite working together they could not even make him break a sweat. Ganner had tried to help earlier but had somehow managed to make it even worse.

"Why don't you use that flail of yours, Mirhalim?" Ganner said, he was sitting at the edge of the fight, watching.

"I do not have a practice flail with me, Ganner, otherwise I might try it. It could not make it worse after all." Mirhalim bluffed. At least he didn't have an actual practice flail but it would make it worse. Much, much worse.

"Ahh, you need a practice flail, Mirhalim? I have one, I believe, in my spare gear. Come with me and I will get it. Perhaps it will work better." Syrento spoke up from behind Mirhalim, where he had been listening closely.

As they walked over to the pack chocobos, Mirhalim was trying to get out of it the whole way. Syrento accepted none of his excuses however and even expressed his "looking forward" to fighting one who knew how to use a flail at least decently well.

"Come on Syrento I really do not want to fight you again." Mirhalim said as they reached the chocobo.

Come on you seriously can't take one more time? Maybe you will win this time." Syrento said, rummaging through his packs. With a sigh he picked up the large bag he had been searching and emptied its contents on the ground. Spilling out came a large amount of practice weapons, even a spear in two cunningly worked pieces.

"You burden that poor chocobo with all that Syrento? And why do you have basically every practice weapon imaginable!"

I like to be prepared for any eventuality. Besides most of these I can use at least somewhat and using some of them not only lets me learn how to combat a weapon type but also enables me a handicap against some opponents."

"You didn't give me and Rior a handicap despite us being less effective than most of the combat you have faced before, at least it seems that way."

"You will never get any better if you do not challenge the best. After all how can the sword be taught if I don't use a sword?" He paused and reached down, grabbing a leather wrapped flail. "Aha! There we go, a lead weight in the center wrapped in layers of soft leather. Still hurts when hit but at least it won't inflict any fatal injuries."

They walked back, Syrento somewhat joking about how Mirhalim was going to hit himself with the flail. Mirhalim was glum, as what Syrento was joking about seemed very likely to actually happen.

They found themselves back in the place that they had fought before, nearby the campfire where all the others were watching with interest. Laughter had been common among them until Syrento offered to challenge the ones who had laughed. That had quieted them down a small amount except for Navar, who had actually accepted the challenge, but him and Syrento agreed to put it off till a later date.

"Come on you two, let's see if this small change will make it better at all." With Syrento's quick nod they began to fight, but Mirhalim stayed cautiously back trying to do as little as possible with the flail and mostly resorted to hiding behind his shield. Rior seemed to think that this must be some strategy and so he pulled back and waited for Syrento to advance. Syrento picked Mirhalim to attack and closed the distance in a flash. Mirhalim was quickly forced to defend with all he had, though Syrento appeared to not be expending much effort.

Mirhalim lashed out with a random strike with his flail and felt its weight change and the attack stop. His flail had somehow wrapped around Syrento's sword! As he realized this Syrento gave a sudden jerk that pulled Mirhalim off his feet and crashing to the ground. He lost his grip on the flail, but as he looked up it appeared to be stuck on Syrento's sword. Rior was trying to press him but Syrento was fending him off with his shield while trying to shake the flail off his sword. Sighing, Syrento tossed his sword to the ground, pushed Rior back with his shield and a hard shoulder, and then tossed his shield to the ground by the sword.

"Did you just give up?" Rior asked standing straight up now, no longer ready for an attack.

"Not even close. I can still win, albeit not quite as easily." Syrento replied, standing up as Rior had.

"You have no weapon, how could you beat us?" Mirhalim spoke, just realizing he had no weapon either.

Syrento only smiled and then waved them forward. " Come on you guys have the weapons, well one of you does, you should not be afraid of me."

Rior somehow managed to look ashamed and then advanced, cautiously despite his advantage. Mirhalim attempted to pick up the flail wrapped sword but was caught by a sudden rush from Syrento and with a spinning punch that knocked Rior back first Mirhalim's world went black.

Rior quickly got to his feet, but was rushed again by Syrento. He barely managed to block his fists, and idly wondered how Syrento could stand slamming his fists into the shield with such force. Swinging desperately with his sword was to no avail as Syrento could easily dodge any strikes he threw out without thought. He broke away from combat carefully and Syrento showed no move to advance. He thought of a thousand scenarios, all of them losing. He had to catch Syrento somewhere where he was irrecoverable, where his motion left him unable to dodge. Syrento's lack of a shield made it the deciding factor, he couldn't make a block while he was irrecoverable.

Rior lunged forward quickly and made a few tests of Syrento's movement when he dodged. He concentrated on the movement carefully, memorizing it from a thousand angles. He could see where Syrento was going to before he even went and after one of his strokes he quickly altered it and he caught Syrento in the chest with a gasp from the assembled audience.

At least that was what he thought happened. Inches from his chest Syrento slammed his hands together, catching the blade where the flats would have been. At this the gasp had come from the audience. Instantly he brought his knee up in a strike to the weapon that would have even shattered steel. A rain of splinters flew into Rior's face as he stared in disbelief and while still recovering Syrento dived forward and caught Rior with a strike to the stomach that doubled him over. He had lost, again.

Syrento helped him up and Aela walked over to where Mirhalim lay and unceremoniously dumped a pail of water on his face, which woke him up with a sputter. Syrento and Rior were quickly surrounded by the others as they all gasped at Syrento's skills, once again impressing them in ways they never thought possible. Rior wondered as they were asking Syrento how and what he had done, if it was an accident, and many other thing how Syrento could manage to have such skill. It seemed too much for one man to him, like legends of heroes who could do things like what he had done. Grasping a thrusted blade and stopping it with strength alone seemed impossible to him.

Syrento shrugged off all comments and instead drew Rior aside alone, a conversation that Mirhalim expressed his thought that he should be privy to it, He had not seen this miracle all the others were talking about after all.

Once they were apart Rior asked "What is the point of drawing me aside here? Are you just going to tell me how you learned to do that? What is it?"

Syrento whispered quietly "Where did you learn to read my attacks and dodges so quickly?"

Rior straightened, with a shocked expression on his face, "Is that what this is about? Surely you know what it is, just an application of archery. All of us have had at least had a small education in archery. You have to be able to shoot to where an opponent will be not where he is. You have to be able to read his movement."

"No it is not that simple," Syrento shook his head "I know how to shoot a bow. I can guarantee you, if you do what you did, it would hit me ten times out of ten."

"It did not though. You stopped it, using something I never would have imagined. You caught my blade. All my scenarios never took that into account."

"Ah yes and there is the rub. Something you can not read. A skilled user of the shield may be able to stop this, or one who knows what I know, but there are many who do not have either skill. Just listening to you explain it I can not comprehend how you can see so many 'scenarios' as you put it. Sadly it seems as if I cannot learn this, but I shall still try. Now I assume you wish to know how I was able to stop your thrust?"

"Of course I do! It seems like something out of legend. How did you learn to do such a thing? And why show it if you do not want to tell anybody about it. And how did you get such skill with your bare hands."

"Whoah, whoah, that's too many at once," said Syrento, raising his hands up, "But, since you answered mine, I will try my best. First, an answer to many of your questions. My grandfather became close friends with a young mercenary when he too was young and fought in the Lion's war. He fought alongside him with the Order of the Northern Sky and the mercenary saved his life in battle, cutting down an enemy as he was about to finish my grandfather."

Syrento raised a skin to his mouth and drank deeply from it. He then looked at Rior closely and resumed his speech. "My grandfather invited the mercenary to come live in his household after the war. Shocked, the mercenary accepted and brought to our house his skills from beyond this continent. He married my grandfather's sister in a somewhat scandalous affair that was covered up by many others within our family and then, despite his common heritage became part of my family. He taught his own son and my father his ways of fighting as well as my grandfather teaching his children. And this teaching was passed down to me. Shirahadori, or grasping the blade, the son of the mercenary taught me, his father had suffered an apoplexy the winter before my training within our house."

Syrento had stopped talking so Rior broke the silence. "That still does not explain any of the others than where you learned it. It still does not explain how it is possible or where you learned such hand-combat. Or why you hid either of them!"

"Hmmm? Does it really not?" He seemed to mentally browse over his tale " Oh I suppose it does not after all. Well my grandfather fought with his fists in the war, rather than iron. He was a monk who was a knight as well. His skills were amazing they say, he even mastered the ability to shatter the ground with a slamming fist. My father taught me none of that but did pass down the ability to fight fist against steel to me. I, in rebellion I suppose, wished to become a swordfighter instead of a monk and joined the barracks to learn it. Because of my training in combat before I outclassed many of the other novices and learned quickly. So I never showed off my martial arts because I preferred the sword. In the past year I have embraced all sides of my training but never told anyone. To your final question, since I hid my martial arts, I hid my Shirahadori since it requires empty hands to perform."

Syrento again stopped speaking and stared into the fire and so again Rior broke the silence. "Thank you for this Syrento. I am sorry I could not be more help to you in the skill you sought to learn from me, but may I ask to learn how to perform this Shirahadori?"

"I can try," he said, lifting his head and smiling "But you will have to submit to Cape's perfect requirement for discipline and great punishment of failure. After all Cape has a perfect reputation to uphold and he can not have you running off and dying because you only partially mastered his technique." He shifted the way he was facing so his cape billowed in the wind dramatically and finished with a voice that seemed to run adrenaline through Rior's body, "Do you accept, scion of Illu?"

"Gladly"

**Yes I changed Shirahadori. At least a bit. My characters can drop/sheathe their weapons much easier than in the game. And Re-equip is a standard but they instead have their own personal inventory. Fire emblemesque. Hope my 3 readers enjoy this.**


	10. The World IS Out To Get Him

The Morning After

"You know this rain is particularly bothersome. It seems to soak right through my leather armour." Mirhalim shouted to Aela through the rain, who was riding beside him in the column. Mirhalim was the first to talk during the day's march so far. All the others were simply suffering in silence other than the tinking sound that the rain made on the others armour.

"Perhaps you should have bought something other than leather?" Aela brushed the water from her helmet as she spoke "Maybe if you had been earlier to actually purchase your equipment you would not be having this problem."

Mirhalim let go of his reigns and pulled his hands behind his head "Yes, but then someone else would have been deprived of armour."

"One of us could be easily deprived of it" She whispered over to him and pointed to the back of Ganner's pack chocobo. On it was a full set of armour! Mirhalim could hardly contain his anger, and after visibly restraining it, rode forward to Ganner.

"Hey Ganner," Ganner responded with a nod so Mirhalim continued, "Why do you have a full set of armour on your pack chocobo? You can't even wear that armour, I'm sure."

"I figured that it would make me not look like an easy target if we get ambushed on the road. After all, many people aim for the chemists first. It might make them think twice, at least." Ganner shifted his tall cap, which drooped rather sadly in the rain. Mirhalim looked up at it while he was talking, wondering why he was even wearing it.

"You can't even wear it!" Mirhalim yelled out, causing all the heads in the column to turn towards him, except Syrento who, at the head of the column, kept his eyes on the road to Grogh Heights. "I can though! You deprived me of it, so now I am stuck with this useless leather junk!" He quieted down and continued, "Listen, give it to me and I'll pay you back for it."

"I don't think so. If I get taken out first what are you all going to do? None of the rest of you can use potions at all and the only one skilled in magic is Ciel and a fat lot that will help you." He shivered and pulled his hat down off his head, wringing it out like a rag, as he continued "Well I suppose right now I would not be that opposed to being lit on fire." He laughed at his own joke as Mirhalim resisted the urge to choke Ganner

Mirhalim sighed and had to carefully restrain himself from reaching over and choking Ganner. He fell back beside Aela and whispered over to her "I really hate him."

"I don't know, that was almost funny the way you exploded. Everyone looking at you like you are insane. Definitely kind of funny" she said, letting out a small laugh.

Up ahead Navar was arguing with Rior about how some various details of the supplies they had taken with them, and Ciel was haranguing Ganner about something, Mirhalim thought it was his odd hat, and Syrento was carefully observing the trail, seeming lost in thought. Mirhalim knew he was alert though as Cape could not be anything but perfect. His actual cape even seemed to be untouched by the rain! Mirhalim tugged on his own, it felt at least five times its normal weight, and constantly seemed to be intent on strangling him.

Up ahead Syrento signalled something. As the others stopped and began to dismount he realized it was time to switch chocobo, to save their legs from the constant weariness of carrying them. He reorganized his meagre packs on his old chocobo and began to mount the one he hated. It had nipped at him twice this morning as he tried to load it. Now it seemed fine but Mirhalim was sure it was plotting to get revenge on him somehow. Chocobo were smart that way after all.

As everyone began moving again Mirhalim let his mind wander. Early in the morning, at sunrise if you could call it that, he had seen Syrento and Rior practicing something just as he had gotten out of his tent, Rior was evidently failing because he had many bruises all over his body and Cape was yelling about him about how terrible he was, how he would never learn to do it. Cape swung again and Rior had moved his bare hands to try and stop the practice sword, but missed and was sent sprawling. Cape yelled again and as Rior was struggling to get up Cape's practice sword came flashing back down. Rior managed to get his hand in the way but Mirhalim heard a sickening crack as the sword beat his hand to the ground. Rior fell over onto the already muddy ground and suddenly Cape stopped swinging and Syrento was at Rior's side offering him a hand up.

Mirhalim had realized he was trying to catch Cape's sword like the others had told him he had done to Rior. He had shrugged and almost laughed at Rior's folly. Only someone as perfect as Cape could manage something like that, normal knights had no way of succeeding in a task like that. He shrugged then and spun his flail lightly in his hand as he walked over to where he saw Navar.

Navar had been up, sparring with Aela, but he had not seen Ciel around and was glad not to be the last one awake. Of course it was not to be and Navar informed him that Ciel had been up first, practicing her archery in the dark night, and was now already packing her supplies onto her chocobo. He had asked Navar about his upcoming duel with Syrento and Navar had responded with a careful nod of his head and had talked at length about how he was prepared to lose but would not accept it with ease, struggling with all his might.

Mirhalim had hoped Navar would be not that impressed with Syrento or anything just to see Cape have a difficult time sparring with someone, anyone. But this did not seem to be what would happen either. "Did the man never lose?" he had thought early that morning.

He snapped back to the real world as a chocobo cried out softly. The kweh sound was awfully mournful, but it must be far worse for the beast he thought. After all it had no real protection against the rain and it had to carry these people in full armour.

The column was indeed a dreary sight, and Mirhalim wondered how Syrento and Rior could even see more than ten feet ahead of them. The only evidence to Mirhalim that they were even still at the lead of the column was the bright yellow of their chocobo. Mirhalim reached to his side where he held the oiled bag that contained the papers, sealed against water again underneath the surface of the pack. It was his turn to protect the papers today, Rior and he had decided to alternate who was holding it each day. The bag was still dry, the oil causing all the water to run down the side. It was a constant thorn in his side the oiled bag. He was sure he could have had the same done to his armour before they had left if he had known anything about the maintenance of leather armour.

Up ahead Rior motioned for the column to ride closer together as they were entering an area where the road was nearby large patches of bushes to keep them from getting separated in an ambush. As he continued to ride on he almost crashed his chocobo into Ganner who had come to a complete stop.

"What are you doing Mirhalim? Didn't you see the signal to stop!" Ganner shouted at him, oddly quietly though. Mirhalim quickly looked around and saw that he was right and it had been a signal to stop not form up. He mentally sighed, after all Ganner had managed to pick the signals up faster than him.

"Yes I did Ganner. My hands just slipped off the reigns in the wetness, that's all. No need to get worked up."

"Oh, sorry then Mirhalim. Shouldn't have shouted out. After all you are a knight I'm sure you had picked that signal up easier than me." Ganner took his hat off as he dismounted and went to get the leather canopies that, Mirhalim noticed sadly, were oiled against the rain.

Almost as soon as the three canopies were set up between the trees a fire was going and conversation buzzed. It was lunch, Mirhalim realized as Ganner began cutting some cured ham into bits and putting them in a pot over the fire. He sat down at the fire right in between Navar and Aela and asked Aela "So I saw you and Navar sparring this morning, over anything specific?"

Instead Navar answered him from his left with a laugh before he spoke "Did Cape not tell you we do not need a reason to spar? After all it is training and we just fought off some monsters." Mirhalim was about to respond but Navar continued "But you hit the point, this time it was. I was fighting Aela to see if I could fight Cape. Aela said she had lost to Cape some time previous so I decided to see if I would even stand a chance."

After waiting for an announcement of the victor Mirhalim just ended up asking "So who won then?"

"He did. I still think he cheated though." Aela grumbled.

"How does it go 'All is fair in love and war'?" Navar responded.

"I don't think they ever thought someone would flirt in the middle of battle. That was rather shocking you know. Made me totally drop my guard." Aela's face turned a slight red as she spoke.

Mirhalim looked at Navar who was smiling earnestly and began laughing as Navar replied "I am pretty sure that was my attention. Your guard was rather difficult to get through, so I decided on what would take you off guard the most." Mirhalim continued laughing.

Aela stood up and shouted at Mirhalim "You boor! Get up and let me see if you even deserve to laugh. Get your practice sword or I will just strike you with mine! Either way the result shall be the same!" Her face was quite red and the rest in the circle turned towards her, assuming it anger Mirhalim supposed as he scrambled to his chocobo. Hoping she fought poorly while she was angry if she was in any way close to Navar's skill was the only thing he could think of as he found himself standing in the rain against her.

Trying to dissuade her he spoke out "I disarmed Syrento you know. You might want to reconsider this fight."

"Only making him more deadly" Navar chipped in from the side with the same smile he had before.

"You aren't helping, Navar" Mirhalim gritted at him from between his teeth.

"Let us start the lesson in swordsmanship Mirhalim. You might find me to be a rather ...difficult teacher." Aela had drawn the carefully crafted practice blade that to Mirhalim resembled a fully grown tree.

She began the fight by rushing at Mirhalim and striking almost before Mirhalim could even draw his sword. Mirhalim brought his sword up in a hasty arc and blocked a blow with a massive amount of weight behind it, almost disarming himself in the process. Aela quickly struck again and again in rapid succession and it took all of Mirhalim's effort to just parry the strikes as close to his own body as he could. He tried to throw out one desperate low-stroke that was easily blocked by Aela as she continued to try to crack his meagre defence.

Mirhalim got the occasional strike in, but Aela was getting the most in. Mirhalim had felt a bit of pride when he had managed to get his sword to tap her left shoulder but even before Cape said it probably would not have even dented her armour he knew it would not be a fatal strike. He carefully ducked a stroke that he thought would have beheaded him, even with practice swords as he attempted to push his guard out. It was to no avail as he was forced to guard closer still to his body.

She was wearing at him and many of her strikes seemed to aim to cause vibrations to travel down the sword to tighten his muscles, reducing his striking power. Mirhalim recognized the technique after feeling it one too many times and decided that he must strike now if he even hoped to have a chance. He leapt at her with a roar and swung down, all in between her blows. His sword felt the definitive clatter of being deftly blocked by her weapon. "She can use that giant sword almost as well as a shield!" was Mirhalim's thought as Aela slashed his back as he passed making him fall face first onto the ground.

"Well I suppose you are not quite as bad as I first thought, but still have some thought before you laugh easily at one who can beat you in a fight." Aela said, pulling Mirhalim up by his hand.

"I guess that's the closest to a compliment I'm going to get from you. I'll take it. But, really, did you have to knock me onto the ground?"

* * *

Meanwhile

Beran shivered in the bushes where it was his turn on watch. Despite being leader he still took turns on watch to show his men he was 'one of them' even if he led them. Yesterday his band had received a message by pigeon putting a demand for him to 'halt' a group of travelling students. Knight students apparently. Generally he did not pick fights with the nobility but he just couldn't let this opportunity pass him by. His band had been fairly inactive, living in Grogh and avoiding the attention of the knights. But now he was offered fifty-thousand gil to waylay these unfortunates. And another ten-thousand to have the leader alive. He rubbed his hands lightly together for heat and continued staring out..

He had never been able to acquire that much from his occasional robbing of small groups of passersby. In fact, even split between his band, sixty-thousand gil could carry them for almost a year. He felt warmer at the thought of not having to fight off any sellswords for an entire year.

He hated this accursed rain, however, and silently screamed at the skies. His subordinates were all sleeping in tents now. His watch was almost over, at least, but for now he would suffer with it. He could suffer with a lot for sixty-thousand gil. The only thing he was worried about was how this person could wriggle out of the payment. A simple cursory glance though saw the golden ring the pigeon had carried the note with, and a jeweller in his party had said its worth approached ten-thousand gil. The postscript of the letter said it was advance payment on the fifty-thousand and he would gladly exchange it back for the ten-thousand it was worth.

He shivered and smiled as he thought of the combat. It would be warm as combat always is.


	11. Bacon Tree

About five hours later

Mirhalim sat on his chocobo, still shivering from the accursed rain that never seemed to let up. Syrento had suddenly stopped about fifteen minutes prior and called a halt to the column. He had Aela dismount and break off to check the surrounding area about a league forward. Apparently, at least what he told the rest of them, he had spotted a group of two sets of tracks. In this rain they could not have held for long, so he asked Aela, who had some skill in actual tracking to examine them and then scout what she thought would be sufficient. Aela had pointed out some things about the bootprint that Mirhalim could in no way see. How could you tell if it was worn from its track? What did it even matter if a boot was worn anyways? She had decided to range forward a league to look for more signs, and see if they were hostile, and then stay ahead of the column, on foot, about half a mile. The rest of the column would decrease their pace to accommodate this. Only the chocobo looked glad about the slow down.

Another fifteen minutes passed and the rest of the column, save Cape, was growing impatient, despite their knowledge that it would be still quite a while left. Rior asked Syrento if they could continue training but Cape waved him away. Navar had pulled a small roll of leather out of his pack chocobo and carefully began to sharpen his spears underneath it. Ganner was replacing some powder in the small iron pellets that his gun fired but not taking much precaution against the rain, which Mirhalim assumed ruined them.

Another half an hour had passed before Aela returned breathing heavily, her hair sopping wet and she looked far more bedraggled than the rest of the group.

"There are enemies up the road about two miles. They are definitely waiting to give an ambush to a party on the road. They seem to be common robbers but it has been a while since I have heard any reports about brigands in Grogh." She said in a calm voice, after regaining her breath from running.

"Any chance we can go around them?" Ganner asked, trying desperately to wring out his hat. The rain just seemed to be getting worse.

"No such luck with that. They are positioned at the lead in to the hills and the road is the only route through that we could take the chocobo." She unfastened her helmet from the side of her chocobo and was in the process of putting it on while she continued, "Most likely we are going to have to ambush them. Since they are positioned in the bushes on both sides of the road we could take one half out then spring the ambush. Since they are just brigands they will likely fold quickly."

"How about their numbers?" Cape spoke quietly, already having donned his full armour while they were talking.

Aela tilted her hand left and right "I'm not really sure; it's hard to tell in the underbrush how many they are exactly but it's probably somewhere from fifteen to twenty. They definitely have a black mage amongst them though, and I found a tree riddled with remnants of what looked like holes arrows would have made. I would not put off them having a white mage or a chemist either if they have the resources for archers and black mages. I can't guarantee anything else."

"Well then," spoke Rior from on his chocobo "We will follow the plan you have outlined, however we shall leave our chocobo behind. I know that seems risky against people who are probably looking to rob us but we are never going to manage to traipse through the forest with them. We also cannot leave a rear guard behind since we will need everybody. So we are going to take our chocobo to that little dip over there," He pointed at a small hill to the north "And leave them free-tethered. Take only what we definitely will need."

Immediately they put the plan into action and were quickly travelling through the growth near the camp on the northern side of the road, Aela said. They were soon approaching the clearing that Aela had spoken of where one half of them were camped. About nine of them were in the camp and Rior gave the go signal to Ciel. Mirhalim watched her with impatience when her eyes blanked, until about thirty seconds later a raging fire suddenly lit one of the far tents up. The bandits all turned towards the fire and, as they were about to begin putting it out, Syrento led the group into the clearing and began engaging the opponent. One of the brigands, who had a bow on his back, spotted them earlier than they had expected and let out a shout to warn his nearby comrades. Ciel gritted her teeth in anger as she released a shot that transfixed the throat of the thief. The battle had begun.

Rushing towards his opponents Mirhalim found himself fighting near Navar, almost approaching back to back, as they fought against three of the brigands with daggers. Navar's superior reach allowed him to kill one thief before he had even posed any threat to him and began to fight with the next, who had already managed to get a lucky stab in causing Navar's left shoulder to bleed angrily.

Mirhalim was having troubles against the thief who had squared off against him. He had managed to cut the strap of Mirhalim's armour in a pass that left it lying on the ground. Not rent but salvageable for the winner of combat. Such was definitely a highwayman's technique. Since then a glancing dagger slash had left a cut across the left side of his face, but Mirhalim had delivered a deep cut, almost to the bone, to the opponents shoulder. However, as he watched, it knit together, flesh to flesh, right before his eyes. Both he and his opponent's eyes went wide as they saw it.

"Watch out, they've got someone skilled with white magic out there!" Mirhalim shouted out randomly to his companions, while parrying a slash from the thief.

"I noticed! I wish our chemist was as reliable. Wherever this mage is they are pretty good." came a shout from Syrento, far to his left. As Mirhalim chanced a look the thief got another shallow stab in, this time under his ribs. Mirhalim coughed as he slammed aside the second blow from the thief. The wound wasn't too bad, he realized, and only bled slightly. He had gotten away with only a light punishment for letting his attention wander.

"Where is he anyways?" came Aela's voice from behind him, this time Mirhalim did not look towards its source.

As if to answer her, a primal yell came from the bushes as someone, Ganner Mirhalim realized, came tumbling out of the bushes fighting a young woman in white. As all eyes turned towards him, Mirhalim almost laughed. Their fight was almost comedic. Ganner wielded his knife awkwardly and could barely even cut through the clothing of the mage on his thrusts, while the mage defended herself, just as poorly, with a bent wooden stick.

"Can someone help that idiot?!" Rior shouted across the battlefield, running his sword through a thief's shoulder.

"On it!" Ciel's voice was quickly punctuated by the whizzing of an arrow that barely missed Ganner and took the mage in the chest. She let her guard down though as one of the two thieves Syrento was currently dealing with managed to duck his blade and cut Ciel's bowstring, leaving her weaponless. Mirhalim managed to slice the throat of his opponent with a rather rushed blow, finally, and ran over to Ciel, who had already been stabbed at least three times, and Syrento was occupied with what was obviously the leader of this group of thieves and another thief who was more skilled than the one Mirhalim had faced.

With a running tackle he knocked the thief down, as he was turning to face Mirhalim and he attempted to finish off the thief with a stab when he was down, but the thief slammed his hand that held his sword and he dropped it as he felt his hand go numb. He still had the flail but could not even flex his fingers yet as he backed away from the thief. He blocked what felt like twenty strikes before his hand could grip properly again, and so, as soon as he could feel his fingers again, he grasped his flail and swung it casually in his right hand. His lack of familiarity with it was countered by the fact that this thief seemed to not know what to do against him while he held it. Eventually the thief just charged at him and, after blocking a poor slash at his throat, he swung the flail heavily underhanded and into his opponent's chest, sending him crashing into a nearby tree where he slumped, close to death.

As he rushed back out of the bushes the combat was generally over. All of the opponents were dead and the other knights were wrapping their minor wounds and leaving the major for Ganner to tend. Syrento was uninjured this time, but all the others had at least somewhat serious injuries. Ciel was by far the worst. Ganner had lit a feather on fire and held it close to Ciel's most grave wound and the ashes seemed to be working their magic Mirhalim had only seen once before. They did not work on the already dead, or even the lightly injured. Only on those approaching death's door would the ashes heal and only enough to keep them alive, if barely, requiring further treatment. It was for that they had named the bird it came from a Phoenix.

Rior looked up from his seat on the ground at Ganner and said, urgently "Hurry with the wounds Ganner. We still have an ambush to spring."


	12. Anothers View

A fellow brigand, Andrus, had awoken Beran with a message that the column had been spotted approaching the spot where they had set the ambush. Beran got up and was rushing to put on his gear, carefully sheathing his knife on one side of his belt and a sword on the other. They would be at the spot where they would be swarmed in about fifteen minutes and now there was only five left as Beran scrambled out of his command tent. Quickly organizing the rest of the group he had them ready for the signal. "Hopefully the other camp is just as ready" he thought as a scout blew his horn to announce the charge of his camp.

As they ran to the road he saw one of his comrades, Jemrik their own camp's archer, go down from an arrow that pinned him to a tree. Beran shouted out "Why are they ready this fast? Get that archer, the rest can't be that prepared!" Another nearby thief, Beran recognized him as the one who had woke him up, nodded and Beran watched him run onto the road, to be met with a man in full armour with a flowing cape bringing down his sword. Andrus barely managed to dodge out of the way and then the rest of Beran's group flooded out onto the road. Combat had begun.

"Where are the others? Captain Beran where are they?" Beran heard a panicked voice coming from a young boy fighting a deadly looking woman with an enormous sword. He had been recently "recruited" by his comrades when they had assaulted a merchant's caravan six months back. The boy was a sellsword, obviously looking to make his fortune in the world. Beran offered him the choice to die or live and work for him. The boy had rather enthusiastically chosen life. He heard a sick sound as the boy was run through by the woman, who was already moving to engage another one of his men. "Too bad his choice only gave him a postponement of his early grave." Beran muttered as he moved into the fight, both sword and knife drawn.

"They should be here! By Saint Ajora! Do not count on their help, fight carefully these people have somehow managed to keep them." The man in the cape approached him as soon as he said that and Beran had no more time to talk or even glance to see how his men were faring. The man fought how he imagined a demon might; his every blow was fierce as the avalanches of Germinas and just as fast. It took all he could to defend himself and he was incredibly relieved when he departed from combat to aid a red-haired youth with a spear, who was outnumbered by Beran's men four to one. Beran went after the one who would gain him the ten-thousand bounty, he could see the command in his eyes as the youth protected the archer who had shot down one of his men and another had an arrow bristling out of shoulder. Another boy, with a flail belted at his waist and nondescript brown hair stabbed the already wounded man through the chest.

Beran was losing, and he knew it. Something had to happen to change the tide. He had lost three of his group of eleven already and the others did not even look wounded. His black mage shouted out a high pitched chant as he cast a fire spell on the one with the flail belted at his waist. It seemed to have next to no affect as the young man almost shrugged it off.

"He should have used a Blizzard." He snorted as he ran up to the boy with the bounty, "Using fire in a rainstorm. Idiot." Beran swung at the boy, who deftly parried his sword slash but caught the dagger's bite with his shield arm. "He has no experience fighting against a foe with two weapons!" Beran thought as he smiled. Nearby him the demon in the cloak had slain three of the four who had been outnumbering the spearman. The last was lying on the ground, a barbed spear lodged in his chest. His mage had gotten somewhat more intelligent and was casting ice and lighting spells against the flail-wielder but still to little avail it seemed. The man with the flail looked a little scarred and his left arm had some minor cuts in it but these did not prevent the man from running him through. As he idly wondered what had made the man able to shrug off such magic attacks, Beran swung out again at the youth in front of him who managed to parry both blows of his this time and returned with a slash that Beran caught with his right blade above his head.

Andrus, Hans, and Derk were the only ones other than him left. Only one of theirs was even seriously wounded, and the swordswoman was drinking a potion that knit the flesh of a badly bleeding thigh wound. The potion had been tossed to her by an unseen person from the bushes. He shouted in alarm at the fact that they must have a chemist hiding that he had not even seen. He heard a gunshot as well but it did not seem to have hit anyone that was left. He gritted his teeth and thought about next time, if there was a next time, the white mage would be in his camp. These young knights had obviously killed the other group before this fight, Beran had bet everything on them not being able to find either camp, but it appeared they had found both.

That was it. He called the retreat, attempting to save the little that remained, and yelled "Fall back! Run!" An arrow caught Hans in the back as he turned around to locate the shout. Andrus and Derk were sprinting to his location as he was running back to the bushes himself. He was caught by the demon in the cape and the swordswoman and yelled out as he knew he had already lost "Andrus with me on this one he's dangerous. Derk take the other and run at any opportunity."

He became lost in the battle against the cape as he and Andrus flew at him with the desperation of dying men. He parried every stroke save one from Andrus that only caused a dent in his breastplate. His return attack was brutal, and rent his armour, shattering into pieces. He fought on as Andrus again managed a strike, this one striking deep into the demon's shield arm. Derk was having no avail against the swordswoman, who had utterly destroyed his buckler underneath her repeated strikes. Derk had always been a poor swordsman.

This was going nowhere and the others of the group were almost in distance to aid their friends. He cursed whatever had kept the second group out of the fighting and yelled to his two remaining companions, some of the youngest among their band "Run I'll hold them back, we don't need to lose everyone. Get word to whoever sent the message that we have failed."

Beran turned to the swordswoman who had Derk at a major disadvantage and struck at her, allowing Derk to run after Andrus. She had the same weakness as the leader had, no skill at fighting against someone with two weapons, so his dagger caught her arm the same way it had the boy. The demon struck him with a slash across the back that he felt spurt blood. As he turned to face him he struck again, running him through his shoulder. Beran shrugged back to lock the sword in his flesh and smiled. His opponent was now weaponless, leaving him with an opening for a great strike, a bone-crushing one. As he swung his sword around, his last effort, the demon in the cape had an answer the way he had expected, parrying the sword with his free shield, leaving him open to a disembowling strike. He smiled as he swung and, feeling a sudden resistance, he looked down with his last breath. The demon had released the sword and caught his blow with his hand. He had to be a demon, only demons could do such a thing! He closed his eyes, his last sight was the demon almost... smiling, as Beran toppled to the ground, ramming the sword in his shoulder further through him.

Mirhalim had just managed to get to Syrento as he dealt the fatal blow to the man. He watched as Syrento pulled his sword free from his shoulder with a grating tug. Syrento then faced the man right side up and called Mirhalim over to help him move his body over to the bank beside the road.

"He fought hard. Oddly, he seemed almost noble as he sacrificed himself to let those two escape. Strange to think of honour in one who waylays travellers. He almost caught me with that strike of his with that knife. Could have been deadly."

"Sure looked that way. I would have hated to fight him myself if you said he was a challenge." Mirhalim pulled his hands up behind his head. "However you are right, I would not have expected honour amongst bandits. Perhaps he had a reason to put himself in this situation but sadly it put us at odds against him." Mirhalim responded, letting the bandit's legs drop as Syrento folded the bandit's arms on his chest.

Ciel came running back with news that she had not been able to catch either of the runaways as they seemed to disappear into Grogh. Pathways through it only known to bandits she had said, spitting on the ground after. Rior and Navar followed shortly behind her, herding their chocobos.

After getting their chocobo Syrento asked Ciel to conflagrate the corpses of the bandits since they could not bury them, nor leave them behind. After a few mild objections she burnt them and all of them were already riding into the main part of the Grogh hills before the smoke even began to rise.


	13. Not At All Stalking

The mood in the party was somewhat morose as Mirhalim's chocobo strolled along the road. They had just killed almost twenty men amongst them, over the two fights, and many had only begun to realize that they had taken lives that could never be returned. Rior had tried to break the mood by telling them it was kill or be killed, but it was having little effect. The only one who seemed at least decent was Ganner, but that was because he only saved life, rather than removed it. He had stories amongst the mercenaries sent to border skirmishes and to wipe out bandits that the mood would fade eventually but it almost always happened.

It took almost six hours before anyone talked. The first one was Rior at the night's campfire. He asked Syrento to continue training him and so they went off after the meal. After that it seemed to the others as if it was alright to talk.

"What are we going to do about the two runners? If they have more men in these hills we could get ambushed again, and this time we may not spot them at all. I think we should take a different path" Ciel was waxing her bowstrings before re-coiling them as she spoke.

Navar shrugged his shoulders and then brought his hand up to smooth back his hair before he replied. "I am more worried about the fact that they look like they had been waiting specifically for us. Those camps were definitely temporary camps. Why would they be waiting for a column of knights? They should have ignored us as most bandits do when knights patrol."

Mirhalim almost whispered as he spoke "You think someone set them on us? Or were they that desperate that they would attack a column of knights."

"I do not know, Mirhalim. I, personally, think that they were set on us but I cannot truly know. We did not carefully look through the second camp after all, since Rior deemed it too dangerous to stay there when we had runners. My main reasoning is that I heard their leader shout something at his men when they ran. I could not hear it; neither would Syrento tell me what he had said."

Ciel had put all her bowstrings into a scrip at her waist. She did not look at all worried. "I think that we will be fine. If that was the leader of the bandits, as Syrento said, he was much more skilled than the rest, everyone would have been there, I suppose. Now the real question is whose turn is it for watch next? Aela should be returning soon."

Mirhalim sighed. She had looked straight at him when she spoke and no real questioning tone in her voice. He was not looking forward to his watch, but really who did? He got up and readied his gear, his leather armour was still out of commission but Ganner seemed to think he could fix it. He belted his flail and sword then went to relieve Aela.

He was looking for her, but she found him. Her voice came out of the darkness from behind him "My watch is done already? I suppose that is good news, but I have a hard time trusting someone who is caught from behind so easily."

Mirhalim was visibly startled, but he managed to compose himself before he spoke. Aela had almost laughed when he had jumped. "I won't be that easily fooled. You, after all, are a scout. I will be watching for clumsy thieves and monsters."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Mirhalim. If I die in my sleep I will be very cross with you." After that she turned and left Mirhalim to his watch.

Time seemed to pass extremely slowly as Mirhalim shifted weight constantly to stay awake. However it was a futile effort as he began to drift off. A sound in the bushes snapped him out of his drowsiness as he instantly drew his sword and challenged the sound "Who is there!? Don't think I didn't hear you!"

"Peace, Mirhalim, its Navar. Your watch is over." Mirhalim sighed with relief, and as he turned to go back to his bedrolls Navar continued "If you would be so willing may I talk with you a moment?"

Mirhalim stopped and replied softly "I am willing to stay, at least a little while Navar. I may fall asleep during your conversation however." He turned back to face Navar.

"I wish to carry on our conversation from earlier. I would not say this around Ciel because perhaps she has not seen them yet but I am willing to stake what money I have those bandits were after those papers Rior seems to try too hard to keep hidden. That is what our mission is, is it not?"

Mirhalim's eyes had widened slightly during the conversation but in the dark it was unlikely Navar had seen. As he attempted to at least stutter a decent response Navar continued.

"I see I have hit the point. Are these papers really worth possibly our lives?" Mirhalim again attempted to speak but Navar cut him off "You do not have to respond. I do not know what information they contain, but I am intrigued to find how ink can be more valuable than blood." He paused "Have you read them?"

Mirhalim was finally able to regain his speech as he fought out the words "No, Navar, I have not. The church declares it heresy to even glance at the pages. But you should not be asking me this at all. Take Rior aside, he knows much more about that kind of thing than I do."

Navar shifted and sat on the ground, his armour creaked as he did. His voice was slightly tenuous as he continued "I talk with you of necessity. Rior is deeply entrusting of the judgement of the church and a conversation like this with him would bear little --"

Mirhalim interrupted him there "How did you know the church has forbidden it?"

Navar smiled slightly and his teeth were clearly visible in the darkness. "I simply gleaned it from Rior's actions and speech. Even when we departed from the chocobo while ambushing the first camp he kept it on his own pack. That is when I knew it was the papers. The realization that the church had forbidden it is more evident in his eyes. He moved it twice today you know. Each time a hatred burned in his eyes as though it were vile. As I have come to know Rior he only seems to hold that much emotion towards one thing: the church. And my final guarantee was you speaking about it."

He stood again and stretched his back before sitting back down and resuming his conversation. "I would like to read those papers. And I am sure you would as well. We may not get a chance but if you ever decide to, when you guard it, inform me for I will gladly take the chance. Have a good night Mirhalim, and remember this."

Mirhalim returned to his bedrolls shortly after but could not sleep as Navar's words had opened a desire he had never seemed to have before: he too now wanted to read the words they contained.

* * *

On the Road to Grogh Heights ~ the same time

The pigeon had come back clutching his signet ring. That was a bad sign, but he had expected as much. Untrained rogues and the desolate they had recruited were, after all, no match for a group of knights, no matter how young. He had called on them only to stall them and he surmised that it had worked about as well as it could have. He could travel in the night at least, but he every time he came to a crossroad he had to be in daylight so he could see which way they went. He was gaining time on them, but surmised he would not meet them until they reached whatever city was their first stop. They would probably stop for a while, which would allow him to catch them easily.

His female companion rode up beside him as he thought to himself. She had a few skills he did not, and could convince anyone she talked to of almost anything. He had seen her throw a knife with four blades and hit a target that he could barely see. Her magic was a force to be reckoned with as well, but, then again, so was his. She had travelled with him, as silently as a shadow, with her two single edged blades at her waist at all times, for as long as he had searched. He did not entirely know her point of following him, but she was a loyal companion and could go where he could not. She had managed to find out, after all, those who were escorting the papers before he had gone and dealt with that rather rude boy. He hoped that boy had learned some manners before he died.

As he idly tightened and loosened his grasp on his chocobo's reigns he suddenly began to cough blood and it burst out his visor. His companion was instantly by his side wiping the blood from him as he doubled over. The curse had hit him hard again. He needed those papers and the secrets they contained. Apparently the heretic Orran had written something about the other heretic he had once journeyed with, Ramza, of the now non-existent Beoulve who had waded through the blood of the church during the Lion's War. Ramza who had learned how to counter this curse that plagued his body now, or so rumour said. He forced himself to rise and said to his companion "We need those papers. I have no time to deal with this!" His gauntleted fist crashed down on his armoured thigh to emphasize his point. After a second he finished "Keep riding."


	14. Blood For Ink

Dugeura Pass

Mirhalim was half asleep as he was riding the next day; his mind was dwelling on the previous night, specifically on his conversation with Navar. His chocobo seemed glad to follow the others so he did not have to pay much attention as his mind wandered. They had woken up early that morning and began the short but rocky ride through Dugeura Pass. The road here was in poor condition, at least the one they were taking through it was.

Of course what had awakened him up this morning was Cape and Rior practicing the impossibly again. He was up before anyone either than them this time, mainly because Cape had begun shouting before he had even began to sleep. He took some small pride though from the look on Ciel's face as she saw him already awake when she was just rising. She had almost gasped and then looked at the position of the sun in the sky for the time. Ganner was the last to get up that morning, and perhaps would have slept longer if Navar had not decided to begin to take down Ganner's tent while Ganner was still underneath it. After he cooked a light breakfast they had continued their journey that brought them along this cursed road that would not let Mirhalim even attempt to sleep as he bounced on the chocobo's back.

The desire to read the papers they had been forbidden from even opening was all he could think about in the morning as well as the afternoon. He could blame it all on Navar but he knew that Navar had only put his curiosity about something the church hated so much, but couldn't destroy, back on track. He was idly entertaining a plan of how to read the papers safely when Rior shouted, awakening him from his dreams.

"I can see Bervenia!" Instantly Syrento and Ciel who were riding with him looked out to where he was pointing. Mirhalim looked as well, surprised at how dark it suddenly seemed. They were riding in the late afternoon, the last thing he remembered seeing were the lunch fires. The gate's light was clearly visible, but still perhaps a twenty minute ride at the pace they were going.

All of them were looking forward to arriving in the city, some for the comfort, others for repair of their gear and rest. They had all stopped each of their chocobo just to stare at the light. This impromptu halt was quickly broken up by Cape who simply asked "Well do you ever want to get there?"

Everyone managed to look embarrassed at the same time and began the pace again. The time it took to reach the gate seemed like forever to Mirhalim, but they did reach the gate. Rior slammed on the porter's door and managed to get the gate opened, just before the porter left for the night. When the gate opened and Mirhalim once again saw stone houses and felt the cobblestone beneath his chocobo's feet he felt as if he was home.

Nearby the gate there were three inns but Rior suggested they might as well move through the city while the streets were not busy like it would be in the morning and they would stay in an inn close to the center of the city and then he would inform everyone where they were going from there. As the moon was almost directly overhead they finally got to an inn that Rior agreed with staying at. He requested two rooms and paid the innkeeper the gil. Rior had quite a bit of gil given to him by his brother and so paying for a simple night's rest was nothing.

After stabling the chocobo they met in the larger of the two rooms. Aela and Ganner sat on a bed, Ciel and Navar sat in the two chairs, Syrento stood near the door, and Rior and Mirhalim sat on the second bed. Rior looked around and began to talk.

"I thank you all for continuing to follow after that fight with the bandits. Again I cannot tell you why we are going to Lionel but know it is a great service. You have all done your part and deserve to know but I just cannot tell you all what we are doing, but I will fully elaborate our route. We are to next go through the sandwaste to Fort Besselat where we will resupply after the long route through the desert. After that we will travel by the Zierchele falls to Zaland. Once we do that all that's left is Belias Tor and we are at our destination and we will head home."

Ciel sat up straight and asked "So tomorrow we supply for a journey into the desert? I am assuming you will provide us with the gil for what we will need?"

Smiling, Rior replied "Of course. I also know some of you need repairs, so I will provide each of you with four thousand gil. For now we shall sleep. When the shops first open we shall purchase what we need and then meet at here."

After that Ciel and Aela went back to their room and Navar, Rior, and Mirhalim drew straws for the remaining two single beds. Syrento had said he didn't mind sleeping on the floor. Rior drew the short straw but Mirhalim offered him the bed anyways. Despite being slightly curious Rior said nothing and gladly took the bed.

Mirhalim stretched on the floor with a yawn and then waited. He was glad Rior had accepted the bed otherwise it would have made what he was about to do that much harder. What seemed like many hours passed as he waited for Syrento's breath to become steady in his sleep. He knew Syrento was a light sleeper so he moved with a careful pace. He had already memorized the two places where the floor creaked and carefully avoided those spots. The door was left slightly ajar, just barely noticeably so the rest would not hear the click of the latch. As he slid out the door he left it in the position it had been before he had left. Now he was free and began to walk casually.

A cold breeze blew past as he stepped out into the night. He only had on a light tunic and his small pack so he shivered on his way to the stables. Attempting to charm the chocobo as he walked so they would not cry out, he finally reached Rior's spare chocobo. The packs it would bear were piled under the hay in the pen for safekeeping. After uncovering the packs he pulled out his small pack and opened it. Inside were his many pieces of random parchment bound together to look like the documents. He removed the first page that contained the warning of the church sentencing heresy on those who read what the pages contained and attached it with the same bindings to his false set of sheets. He then removed the papers he was now dying to read and replaced them with his forgery. Whistling he replaced the pack under the hay and went back to the room to see if he could get to sleep.

As Mirhalim turned the last corner Navar was outside the room, leaning against the wall. Navar did not say anything, only smiled and followed Mirhalim into the room, making as little sound as he had when he left.

Morning seemed to come quickly that night as Mirhalim felt as if, again, he had not managed to get any sleep at all. His eyes were heavy as he walked down the stairs to the common room to see if any of the others were still at the inn. They were all sitting around a small table eating breakfast that Rior had purchased from the innkeeper. Mirhalim joined the rest crowded about the table while Navar was telling a heavily embellished version of some fight he had with a group of students at the barracks.

"And here I thought you were turning over a new leaf Mirhalim, you being the first to rise the night before last. I suppose that was just a little bit of luck!" Ciel said, in a tone Mirhalim thought she must have meant for humour but it definitely did not sound that way.

Mirhalim shrugged and just finished his meal before they left to the stables. There they would take their pack chocobos and purchase what they needed in the nearby stores before leaving.

As they walked Aela elbowed him in the ribs and asked "You finally going to get a decent set of armour?"

"It's been one thing I have been looking forward to since we left Yardrow." He replied with a smile. She laughed in return and walked over to talk with Navar. Sensing the opportunity Rior slowed down and walked alongside him.

"It's been a while since we talked, Mirhalim. I've been busy it seems trying to learn this technique of Syrento's" He showed his hands, covered in bruises, to Mirhalim "I think I am at least getting the basics, but that is just against a wooden sword!"

"Have you ever thought that grabbing the weapon out of mid-air is something only Cape can do?"

"Many, many times Mirhalim. But I will not give up! It definitely gives me something to work towards and I hope the training has at least made me a slightly better swordsman" He laughed "Perhaps I shall be able to defeat you regularly if this keeps up."

"I won't let that happen. If it does I'll only be better than Ganner. And that is not much of a complement. If you surpass me I will have to take up some secret training as well. Maybe I'll learn magic from Ciel."

"Ouch. My training is definitely the lesser of two evils if you were to do that. Perhaps we should fight a round sometime soon. Maybe by the time we fight I will be able to surprise you and catch your sword."

"Definitely, but you'll have to watch your back or you might get burnt by my magic. By the time you can catch a sword I'll have learnt all kinds of magic." Mirhalim smiled again. It seemed almost odd to him to be smiling so often a few days after having been in a life or death battle.

"You're better off trying to catch my sword without any training. After all according to instructor Kiera 'you have the least aptitude for learning magic I have seen in the twenty years I have taught! Now get out!"

"To be fair I think she liked that desk, at least before the embers that were supposed to be a contained fire landed all over it."

"Before or after you broke what was left of it in half it with a small ball of ice?" Rior smiled now, looking far less serious than he had during the ride to Bervenia."

"The ice was supposed to put it out. You think she could have done it, she is a magic teacher" Mirhalim said, mentally stifling a small laugh, "Why don't you use magic anyways, Rior, surely it has to be easier than catching a moving sword."

"I tried and I know a little but it just seemed like too much bookwork, and the fact that the rest of my brothers were soldiers rather than mages. I was always amazed by Seshaun's sword skills when I was younger and wanted to be like him."

Before Mirhalim could respond they had arrived at the stables, but strangely no shrill kweh greeted them as they opened the doors. No sound greeted them at all. Ciel muttered something as they walked in as soon as it was apparent all the chocobo were gone. Rior rushed over to where his had been stabled and moved the hay aside almost instantaneously. The pack was gone, and so were a few other things that were hidden in the stable that they could not chance in the inn.

Rior stormed out the door and grabbed the stable manager by the collar, yelling at him "Where are they! Who took them! Where are they!?"

The man looked flustered and scared and after managing to pull Rior's hands away from his collar cautiously responded "What are you talking about, boy?"

"The chocobo are gone idiot. Every single one! How did they get out without you noticing! I thought you said you posted guards here and anything we left in here would be safe." Rior was still shouting.

From inside the stables Aela yelled "Leave him alone, Rior, you can deal with him later. For now there's a note in here."

Rior and Mirhalim went back inside and Ganner was reading the note aloud "If you want your chocobo and supplies back, come to Drogis Street. There will be a building with shattered windows, enter it with only three of you. Oh, and make sure that all of you, including the demon swordsman, are unarmed."

Ciel slammed her fist into a wooden pillar and yelled at Navar "Damn it, I knew those two runners would bother us again! This thing is obviously a trap!"

"How do you know it is the runners" Rior asked, quietly now that his rage had seemingly subsided.

"Who else has seen our 'demon swordsman' Syrento fight?" she bit off at him.

"I don't think they know what they are getting into." said Mirhalim, "Disarming Syrento only makes him worse."

"And that is why their trap is not going to work out well for them." Syrento replied. Mirhalim was sure he saw a faint smile on his face.

Rior waited a few seconds and quickly asked what each person carried in their packs. Everyone save Ciel, Ganner and himself had spare weapons in their packs that were taken. He nodded and then began to explain his plan.

"Ciel, Syrento, and I will go into the main door. We three are the only ones who can fight without weapons. Ciel can use magic, Syrento his fists, and I have some rudimentary magic, more so than the rest of you at least. The rest of you will carefully select an area that is not being watched by the runners or their guard, if they are intelligent enough to have hired mercenaries. Please leave that part to Aela she can scout and hopefully avoid being seen better than the rest of you. Then you will strike one part and try to either subdue a few guards quietly, which is more risky than the second option, or try to find our spare packs without alerting anyone. Once we have those go around to the front and have Ganner fire a shot from his gun. That will be our signal to leave in any way possible. Please try to aid the three of us. As well at the beginning do not even go onto Drogis street until we are in the building to cut down the chance of being seen. Hopefully they will not attack Ciel, Syrento, and I immediately so you will have some time. Any questions?"

Ciel was the first to ask a question "Why are we even bothering. Is it worth the risk? None of us had particularly valuable things in our packs and we can get new chocobo. And why is the second team leaving as soon as they have the packs? Wouldn't they want to get the chocobo too?"

Rior looked at her and sighed "Ciel we would be leaving if I had thought this place not safe. There is something very important in those packs and, believe me, were it not there we would be leaving without a second glance."

Mirhalim's blood drained from his face. He could tell Rior, but his seeing of the inside of the papers would condemn him to heresy, as said by the church. Knowing Rior, despite being his close friend, he would carry out the sentence immediately. When he looked over at Navar he appeared to be struggling with a similar situation as their eyes met. Neither would tell; they could both see it in the other's eyes. At least the plan was a good one.


	15. Over The Edge

Streets of Bervenia

"I'm telling you this is a bad idea. Why do I even need to be here?"

"Shhh Ganner" Aela whispered, "Do you really want them to notice us? Now silently: you are here because hopefully Rior's group won't have to do any fighting. Well at least they are less likely to fight than we are, as well as being in less need of someone who can't fight without a weapon."

"I don't like enclosed spaces though. They leave out certain... tactical nuances."

"You mean the ability to run away?" Mirhalim responded dryly

"I wouldn't call it that." Ganner looked around the corner of the alley as he spoke, "They are approaching the door and some guards have headed outside, it's your job now, Aela."

As soon as Ganner said it she just walked out onto the street casually and Mirhalim would have yelled in shock if Navar's hand had not suddenly covered his mouth.

"Do you think she is going to creep along the wall and look suspicious? She is not that poor at this, Mirhalim. Watch her carefully and you might see what she is doing." After speaking he released his hand from Mirhalim's mouth.

Mirhalim looked out into the small street for Aela. She had stopped at a small stand that offered jewellery in front of a perhaps 3 story building, probably glass beads he thought to himself, where she was examining a bracelet made of green gems strung together. She would occasionally flick her hair and in doing so, he noticed, she got a good glance at the building from an angle he could not see from the alley. The burly mercenaries outside the doors obviously paid her little attention.

She walked down the other end of the street but this time did nothing, instead she doubled back and slipped into the alley.

"Alright, we don't have much time so here this goes. We are going to get in from the roof. It is in bad repair so a sword should slice right through it. Now there are only three mercenaries on the left side compared to six on the right, since the left side has no doors. We still need to be quick about it as we don't need the others alerted." She sighed and sat down on the ground, "Why did Rior have to take anyone who could surprise these guards. None of us could shoot a bow decently, I assume?" Ganner made a motion towards his gun and looked about to speak but Aela grimaced at him and so he did not.

Navar stood up and smoothed back his red hair before he spoke "I can't shoot a bow but I can think of a way to surprise them. But there will probably be one left so be ready to take him out before he can yell. I'm going to need Ganner though."

Aela laughed "You can take him Navar. Mirhalim and I will be ready to rush on your signal."

About twenty-five minutes later Mirhalim and Aela were sitting behind a jutting out building near the alley in a position where they could reach the side of the building within thirty seconds but were out of sight of the guards. They were both staring at the sky, waiting for Rior's signal that they were entering the warehouse. As soon as a small burst of fire flashed in the sky Navar would begin his plan.

Navar sat on the roof of a third story building with Ganner, who was carefully positioning his gun and taking aim at one of the three guards below.

"Take as much time as you possibly can, Ganner, I want you to hit one of them right at the start. It is no rush; just tell me when you are ready to fire."

"I won't let you down Navar!" Ganner said, a little bit too loudly.

Navar put a finger to his mouth, "Shhh we don't want them looking up here, Ganner. Just be silent and ready for the best shot you possibly can. I believe you can do it." Navar finished with a smile for reassurance and then carefully looked over the side. It was definitely a long drop.

Suddenly a small wisp of fire lit up the air for barely a full second.

Navar picked up his spear, checking its weight, and leaned over to Ganner and whispered to him "Whatever happens stay up here for one minute before you come down. Be ready to cover us if we are running away, however." He paused and looked over the roof again, "When ready, Ganner"

Mirhalim and Aela were still waiting, counting the seconds from the signal. Almost a full minute later a moderately soft gunshot echoed down the alley they were hiding.

"That has to be the signal Mirhalim, there's no way they heard that inside. Let's go!" They both began running toward the warehouse. It was then Mirhalim saw where Navar was. He was running across the rooftop towards the warehouse!

"What is that idiot doing?" Mirhalim grumbled as he ran, but Aela seemed to not have hear him. She didn't even look up. Mirhalim was starting to lag behind her as he could not match her speed.

They arrived at the side alley by the warehouse with drawn swords. Navar and Ganner were nowhere to be seen and only one mercenary was down. The other two mercenaries glanced up from their stare at their companion's corpse and drew their swords. Navar was on the top of the three story building beside the warehouse. Just as Mirhalim wondered what good Navar would serve up there; Navar jumped. Time seemed to slow as Mirhalim watched. One of the mercenaries began to shout. Navar's cape billowed behind him as he dove down headfirst, spear pointed at the mercenary that was closer to the roof he had jumped from. He looked like a bird of prey, especially with that winged helmet, diving down to his target, beak glinting in the sunlight during bare second it took.

Time started again for Mirhalim as Navar's target crumpled with a horrible tearing sound; completely run through by Navar's spear, the spear itself pierced the flagstone underneath, covered in blood as the body slid down it. Navar was still clutching the spear. He had absorbed most of the shock of the landing with the mercenary's body, the rest he finished with a sort of crumple from his knees. The last mercenary dropped his sword in shock; the clattering of blade on stone drew Mirhalim's attention from Navar. As the mercenary tried to recover his sword Navar leapt up from his position on the ground, pulling another spear from his odd quiver and slammed the mercenary into the wall with its point. The mercenary feebly raised his sword to strike Navar then looked down at the spear and dropped his weapon. Blood dripped from his wound as he hunched over, silent.

Navar stood up and smiled as Aela and Mirhalim walked over to him, where he was trying to pry his spear from the ground. As Mirhalim stepped forward to congratulate him Aela put her hand on his shoulder, smiled, and then punched him hard in his stomach, where he had not apparently worn full armour. His eyes widened as he double over, coughing.

"Are you and idiot?" She said in a sort of whisper-scream as far as Mirhalim could classify "What were you thinking? Jumping off a building! If you had missed there would be a pile of vaguely Navar shaped armour all over the ground! What good would that have done us!"

Navar was still coughing but managed to get out "It worked, didn't it?"

"That is not the point; you jumped from a building headfirst! You... you..." Aela just began sputtering after that, her anger not subsiding as Navar resumed trying to rip his spear from the flagstone.

Ganner came running around the corner, holding his bouncing hat on his head with one hand, and stared at Navar, his eyes wide. He shouted as he ran towards them "Thank Ajora you are alive!"

All three of them made motions for him to be quiet and he quickly clamped down his mouth. Aela congratulated him on the shot though.

Aela whispered to Ganner "Did he tell you what he was going to do?"

He shook his head in response and whispered back "All he did was make sure I carefully aimed at the mercenary, and helped me set up the shot. He did not tell me he was going to go flying off a building to take out the remaining mercenaries. Pretty amazing at least." Anger flared in Aela's eyes again at the last statement so Ganner stopped talking.

Aela ripped Navar's hands off the spear he was trying, urgently now, to rip from the ground and talked quickly and quietly "Leave it alone, you have one more", He looked mournfully at it, "Oh just forget about it I'll buy you another if we get out of here alive. Boost me up the wall."

He quickly obeyed and lifted her to where she could pull herself up. The rest of them quickly followed and then Aela and Mirhalim lifted Navar up last.

As they crawled along the roof Aela whispered "Watch for a part I can cut through." She stopped and then looked at Ganner and clenched her fist at him "Ganner get away from that section. We don't want to open the roof above Rior and the rest of them."

Navar spotted a part that almost gave way under a light push of the hand and they all crawled over to him. Aela stabbed her sword through, grunted, and then pried up a piece of the roof with her sword. After she threw the piece of the roof at Navar, she went down first and the rest of them followed her down.

* * *

**Sorry about the time this chapter took. Sidetracked by the Olympics.**


	16. Preventable Confrontation

Aela was already leaning her ear next to the bottom of the door as Mirhalim dropped into the building. A shattered window, from the side they had not come in from, let light stream down on her so she was careful to avoid creating a shadow under the door. Her hand was held up signalling silence, Mirhalim just noticing her before he began to speak.

Navar and Ganner were already rooting through the hundreds of both whole and broken crates, carefully and silently. Mirhalim joined them as Aela rose carefully from peering through the crack under the door. There was just enough light in the rest of the large room to be able to inspect the boxes but not much more.

Many of the crates they opened contained other items, but they could not find the bags. Ganner claimed an armlet of a deep green that spilled out when Navar had torn the front off of one saying that it made him feel unstoppable. Mirhalim had almost laughed when Ganner said that.

After about fifteen minutes of searching, just as Navar was wondering aloud what Rior, Syrento and Ciel were doing to stall; Aela rapped the floor with the hilt of her sword. The rest of the group quickly moved to where she was sitting. A smile lit up her face in the darkness.

"I think I found our 'lost' supplies. Mirhalim take a look. Apparently you know if what we are doing is here or not. Hurry up with it though; I'm sure it's getting pretty awkward out there.

Mirhalim moved forward and began searching through the various packs. A few obviously were not even theirs as the pile numbered far more than they had buried in the straw but there was no time for specifics with searching through them. He was only looking for one pack that had a distinct leather knot tied on its front. When his blindly stumbling hands found the knot he quickly pulled it out of the pile and tore it open.

"It's here. This is what we want." He re-tied the knots holding the pack shut, "Let's get this stuff out of here."

They quickly dragged the packs to the hole in the roof they had pried up. As they were moving the packs, literally running back and forth, Navar pushed a large crate underneath the hole so they could get out easier and jumped from it, a rather high jump considering the fact that he was still wearing full armour, grabbing the edge of the hole with which he hoisted himself up to the roof.

As Mirhalim was heading back to grab more packs Aela told him she had the last two. They began passing the packs up to Navar from the pile.

"Careful, Navar, this one's kind of heavy." Ganner said as he struggled to pass one of the larger packs up to Navar.

After about another five minutes they managed to get all the packs onto the roof. Navar was busy shoving them off the roof as the rest of them talked about what they were going to do next.

Aela's voice was barely discernable above the breeze as she laid out the plan "We don't have much time so here it goes: Ganner is going to fire off a shot to tell them that its time. Navar and Mirhalim, you guys are going to go back down there and bust open the back door to the room when you hear the shot. I'll be going in from the front. Fight unless we are losing or outnumbered since Ganner is not going to be with us. He is going to run as fast as he possibly can to the nearest place with chocobo and high-tail it back here with as many as he can manage. We will load quickly and leave as soon as possible because, in all likelihood, someone is going to alert the authorities. We will rush out the south gates and hopefully get out before they bar them. If we succeed we will probably lose any pursuers in the sandwaste." Aela then quickly waved the others into their positions.

Navar was down first and landed nimbly, almost like a cat, while Mirhalim fell over after he landed. He almost felt glad to have leather armour at that point as metal would have made quite a crash. They took up positions beside the door and almost immediately afterward the sound of Ganner's signal shot echoed through the building. Navar had a grim look on his face when he lifted his foot and kicked the door solidly in the handle, its lock busting open and spraying small metal components into the adjacent room.

Aela crashed just as quickly through the doors on the other side, her sword glinting with the sunlight from outside as she ran in. The fight had already started before they had entered; perhaps a minute or so before Ganner had fired. There were eleven armed combatants still standing against them and they all knew the other mercenaries were going to be inside probably quite quickly.

Rior was engaged with both of the bandits from before, using only a shield that was not his own, while Syrento held three mercenaries at bay with just his hands from Ciel, who appeared to have delivered the only casualty so far, a man who lay slumped and riddled with shards of ice. The other mercenaries held back from the corner where they were engaged, there was just simply not enough room.

That all changed when the three of them ran in. Aela finished one off quickly that had turned to look at the door Mirhalim and Navar had entered from; while Navar was already fighting two of the ones who had been attacking Syrento and Rior, almost the moment after he had kicked open the door.

Mirhalim found himself pitted against a young woman with a sword and a shield but had a nasty flame scar along the side of her face, showing she had at least some experience. His fight was not going anywhere fast as neither one of them could get past the other's guard. Nearby Navar accomplished an act that almost had Mirhalim gaping: he caught a throwing knife out of the air as it was hurled towards him. His attempting to throw it back was not quite as inspiring as it clacked harmlessly, pommel first, against the chest of the thrower, who was a young man with many of those same knives belted diagonally across his chest.

Syrento was still against three mercenaries but one lay on the floor with blood oozing out of a head wound from an elbow strike by Syrento but Rior was hard-pressed and it did not seem as he could find time to even to pick up the downed man's weapon, despite the fact that he lay between him and Syrento. Ciel was chanting feverously and one of the men fighting Navar was hit by a flash of fire.

Mirhalim's full attention went back to his opponent as he managed to get a lucky strike in that managed to badly damage her armour, leaving a sizeable rent across the chest that bled not from the swipe, but from the sharp edges of the damaged armour. She looked at it in shock, giving him the opening he needed. As he ran her through the rent in her armour she let out an incredibly heart wrenching sigh. His attention moved to the main door where he could see the mercenaries from the other side approaching. His eyes met Aela's who was busy fighting near the door. She nodded at him to cover it and as he ran towards the open door a burley mercenary got in his way. Other than that all Mirhalim noticed about him was that he used a flail before Navar slammed into him, knocking him out of Mirhalim's way. Navar was in bad shape, and now had an additional man to fight, but the door was the most important.

He met the first mercenary to the door with a resounding slam of his sword onto the man's own weapon. The strike separated the hilt from the poorly made blade as the man's eyes widened in shock. Mirhalim's strike was quickly followed by a second that caught the man's unprotected throat. As he fell down, gurgling, the others stepped back a second to re-asses their opponent.

Mirhalim felt weight against his back as Aela had been backed into the door by her two opponents and was now fighting back to back with him. One of the mercenaries outside was apparently a mage as the others formed up a distance from Mirhalim to protect the one casting. A great fatigue seemed to come over his bones but was quickly shrugged off. They tried whatever they were doing, time magick Mirhalim assumed, three times before giving up. A mercenary with a giant axe ran up to him as he made a motion to charge the time mage. The axe was easily blocked but what Mirhalim did not expect was the man's spell. The flagstones beneath his feet seemed to creep up to his knees and bind him to the ground. He could not move at all, but still held his sword and shield at the ready. The man with the axe backed up carefully and began to focus on his spells, which Mirhalim could do nothing about, but a woman, at least he thought from the yells as she swung her single edged blade, covered in red armour so he could not see any part of her began to fight him.

Every so often, through the fight, he would feel the bone-aching weariness that came with the constantly failing mage's attempts to cast magick at him. The other mage was for more successful as occasionally he would feel a deep pain as the stones crushed at his legs. Blood began to trickle out of the binding pavestones. Every so often, in his inattention from the pain of the crushing stones, the swordswoman would get a decent strike in. But Mirhalim had gotten in a few himself, one of them slicing away a third of the helmet, revealing a blue eye and brown hair.

Behind him blood spurted onto his neck as he hear Aela gasp, followed by her roaring in anger and then a sickening crunch as he heard steel go through body and two layers of armour. But he had no time to look back. The woman in front of him swept her sword horizontally at him and in desperation he leaned as far back as his bound legs would allow and her sword sliced into the doorframe, sticking in it. Taking a quick advantage he finished her off, but as she fell back she grasped his sword with both hands and took it with her. She clattered to the ground after she wandered aimlessly about seven paces. He reached for his flail but it was no longer at his side!

He prepared his shield, but resigned himself to die as the axeman charged in again. Just before the axeman got to him he heard a huge shattering sound that grated at his ears. His legs were somehow free! He tried to move but only managed to fall over backwards and then stare at his mangled legs. It was easier for him to find the places that his lower leg was not bleeding from than the places it was.

Aela stepped over him and took his spot at the door, grunting a quick "Good job". She was bleeding from the side of her head where he thought the blood that spattered him came from. The strike had taken away a sizeable part of the left side of her shoulder-length hair and what was left was tinged red with the blood.

Mirhalim tried to stand but could not bring himself to get up. Also laying on the ground were Rior, and Navar, accompanied with all but three of the remaining mercenaries, who Syrento still held at bay. As he watched Syrento struck one man with both his hands and that mercenary toppled to the ground. Ciel was moving to aid Aela, who seemed to have one foot caught in the same spell that had ruined Mirhalim's legs. He saw his flail on her waist, covered in rock dust. She had been the one to save his life shattering the stones with his own flail. As she fought the man with the axe a whizzing knife caught her in the back from the knife thrower Syrento was fighting, who took the opportunity to deliver a savage hit to the man's neck. He crumpled, his eyes closing as he fell headfirst into the ground. Aela fell as well and leaned against the doorframe for a while before sliding to the ground with a sickening pop from her leg.

Aela fell, with one leg still caught in the stone. Behind him he heard an insane sounding roar as Navar leapt up, ignoring his wounds as he ran to the doorway to keep the three remaining mercenaries outside. He fought as if he had the great heart of a dragon pumping his leaking blood but took no notice of his wounds. He speared the axe user through with a snarl and twisted the spear, hooking the barbs in. He pulled his last spear from his quiver like belt and charged outside, followed by Ciel, whose eyes were already looking distant as she chanted a spell.

Syrento backhanded the last mercenary, one of the bandits who had fled before, clear into the nearby wall. When the man did not rise again he went ran towards the door, where a sizzling flash of light greeted him, a lightning bolt out of the clear sky lanced into the last mercenary outside, the one who Mirhalim thought was a time mage. Turning back he shouted something at Mirhalim, which he could not make out. Giving up on shouting at him he picked up Mirhalim, whose vision was beginning to blur and carried him through the door at a sprint. Navar came back with Ciel and lifted Aela up, using Mirhalim's flail to smash the stone grasping her one foot, and stumbled out the door, despite the fact that Navar looked worse off than Aela. Syrento returned for Rior, who seemed to be awakening rather than worsening, and helped him through the door as well, while Mirhalim felt himself being lifted up from the ground Syrento had left him outside, hearing dim shouts all around him. He saw Syrento had the flail belted to him as well as Mirhalim's sword and sheath. He also had Aela's greatsword in a ringed sheath across his back that he had picked up from where Aela had lain. He almost laughed at the sight, but when he tried he was surprised to feel that he could not manage to push the air out of his lungs strongly enough to make a sound.

Mirhalim saw five chocobo from his own platform he laid on, dully realizing it a chocobo as well, as Ciel jumped into the saddle in front of him, positioning him so he rested on her and then felt the bouncing gait of the chocobo as his vision faded out.

* * *

**I'm back! According to my random excuse generator this lateness (3 weeks late!) was due to writers block. For the chapter after this. I always stay at least 1 chapter ahead no matter what. Even if it means not publishing something for three weeks that I already have. Yes this chapter has basically no dialog past the plan on the roof but you can't have final fantasy tactics without a fight scene.**

**Also this is the longest Chapter that wasn't originally two chapters that I just smooshed together (I'm looking at you Chapter 4).**

**In that note its also my longest author's notes. I dont even know if people read these things. If you do please tell me if the no tabs is hurting your eyes when you read. Just doesn;t get transferred when I import the file. Noone complained so I left it as is but say something if it does. Thank you for reading. Also hopefully ill make it up for the delay and publish the next chapter on Monday! Maybe!**

**Authors notes make it longer than chapter 4. Woohoo?  
**


	17. It Has Drawbacks Too

Pain.

Mirhalim's eyes stirred open and he reflexively tried to leap up. All that brought him was a searing agony in his legs. A yell, he would not call it a scream, escaped his mouth before he could clamp it shut. He fell back down. He closed his eyes again. He heard footsteps through the pain.

"He's awake..." A deep voice, tinged with ... guilt perhaps, Mirhalim thought.

"About time" A woman's voice this time, with a harsh tone, and a fog in Mirhalim's mind kept him from placing it. "He is the last one, and he is slowing us down"

"He has had it the worst, Ciel; I can't fix his legs without white magick or very expensive medical supplies. In case you haven't noticed we are in an inhospitable desert! The geomancer did a number to him." Ganner's voice, Mirhalim could place it now, still was tinged with the guilt.

"I... I can hear you, you know." Mirhalim's voice was raspy, surprising him with its unfamiliar tone.

"That's good because you are slowing us down. One day in the desert and Aela tells us we aren't moving fast enough to avoid pursuit. Only one day!" As Ciel was yelling, Mirhalim was smiling envisioning himself breaking her teeth, "What are you smiling about! We just apparently killed a large group of people for no reason. That's murder! They won't even ask before they hang us, although I suppose that would be difficult in a desert. I think that's worse than damaged legs, boy."

Mirhalim gritted his teeth, now imagining strangling her, but he knew she was right. He was a liability how he was. He just lay there with no response and Ganner shoved her out the larger than normal tent. It was dark outside, and a cold wind blew in the door of the tent before Ganner retied the bindings that held it shut.

"You aren't going to able to do much, but you might be able to ride at full speed. It won't be enjoyable." Ganner said, lighting another candle within the tent as Mirhalim struggled up with his hands. His legs were wrapped tight with white bandage; at least they weren't bleeding anymore.

"Why can't I walk? Can't I just drink a potion and walk?" Mirhalim was getting frustrated

"It doesn't quite work that way. Potion's in their various kinds can be applied topically or drunk to heal wounds, knit flesh and all that. But bones are the province of magick, or magickally imbued potions, which are expensive and currently unavailable." He shrugged his shoulders, "It's not really fair since white magick basically cures all. But it drains the person apparently."

Ganner was not wearing his cap, striking Mirhalim as rather odd. His hair was particularly messy and still had remnants of desert sand in it.

The door opened again. It was Rior. He was still wearing his armour. Despite looking rather bad the last time Mirhalim saw him Rior now looked no worse for wear. Mirhalim sighed, he had gotten the worst of it, and at the worst time.

"I hope that sigh isn't for me, Mirhalim." He smiled, "Heard you were awake, well I heard Ciel yelling at least. Figured you had something to do with it."

"Not much else she yells at." Mirhalim shrugged from his sitting position "So we are up for murder now?"

"Apparently, at least for now. I stole a pigeon cage as we left and just sent it off detailing everything to Seshaun. He will be able to get us out of it faster than any investigation will. I even sent the note they gave us as well. Hopefully everything will be cleared up by the time we get to Besselat, but we will have to be on our guard all the same. They saw my, Ciel's, and Navar's faces as we were fleeing. Cape took the intelligent precaution and had visored up and tucked away his cloak just before we went through the gates at full speed. He told me he only realized it then."

"He does everything right doesn't he?" Rior smirked, that comment before this had started would have made him laugh, Mirhalim realized, "So what's the plan now? We have no replacement gear so half of us don't have armour, and you three don't have any weapons. What if it's not cleared up by Besselat and we have to fight? I'm sure I will be excellent in the battle wearing only this cloth shirt." Mirhalim plucked the front of his tunic.

Rior smiled "We got particularly lucky with those packs we recovered. We only lost five or so packs but you reclaimed almost twelve. In fact two of them contained a full set of sizeable plate armour." Mirhalim's eyes widened, " And for some reason Syrento thinks you should get it, you defending that door and all. Personally I –"

Mirhalim was no longer listening to Rior's sarcasm, instead he yelled out a great "Yes!" which visibly shocked Rior, and Ganner turned around from grinding up ingredients in his mortar and pestle. Rior smiled again.

"Of course you can't wear it until you can actually walk, so you have some carrot in front of you to get better. You don't get to ride behind Ciel the whole way."

"Thank Ajora!" Rior frowned slightly at the blasphemy of his friend but then smiled again. That frown was all Mirhalim needed to see to know that, despite injuries; he had made the right choice not to tell Rior he had swapped the papers. If he had to control anger at that what would he do if he knew?

"Rior I have to ask you a favour."

"Go ahead." He seemed slightly confused.

"Can you heal me with White Magick? I mean, can you attempt? I know you dislike being seen as a magick user but..." He let the question drift and Ganner looked over in slight shock. There was only silence as a response. Rior seemed frozen, staring at him. Mirhalim knew he hated it. Rior was good at magick but knew the knights training took your best skill and trained you in it. Rior wanted to be a swordsman so he had purposely handicapped his own magick when he took the test. No one else knew.

Rior was clearly thinking and Ganner quickly left the tent. Mirhalim could see no other solution, besides leaving him behind which he knew they wouldn't do. The others would want him using magick rather than fighting with a sword once they knew his skill. But Mirhalim had to do it and he knew they could not claim some miraculous cure. He had no choice.

Rior stuttered as he spoke "I suppose... n-not doing s-so would endanger the m-mission." He paused and controlled his tongue, "But you know what it means..."

"I wouldn't ask you to do it unless I absolutely needed to, you know that. Please, Rior"

"Fine. I shall try. It shouldn't be hard."

Two hours later

"It just doesn't seem to be working!" Rior shouted, slamming his fist into the ground. "This should be easy!"

Every time he made a few attempts he had to rest after, exhausted. Rior was originally confident it would take no more than four, at most, attempts to fix his shattered leg bones. This last attempt was number twenty-seven.

"I can... see I guess the word is... what's wrong but it just doesn't respond!" He slammed his fist into the sand again.

"It's getting better, I think, Rior. You are making progress. You're just rusty. After all you haven't used magick for quite a while." As Mirhalim looked closely at Rior he noticed that he was covered in sweat, and breathing quite heavily.

"It doesn't work that way! It's not like swordsmanship. You don't lose magick over time. It's like a well, always waiting to be drawn, never losing any water till you take it."

After a quick rest Rior attempted again "You are right, I think I'm at least making some progress. It seems to be healing, just really slowly."

It took another twenty-one attempts for Rior to finally wear out. He suddenly vomited and passed out in the middle of the attempt to heal Mirhalim. He was twitching oddly on the ground and bleeding from his nose and ears. In a state of shock Mirhalim started shouting out for anybody to come in. No one heard him. With a yell of pain he pushed himself up onto unsteady legs and stumbled for the door, falling once and picking himself back up. Once he got out he began crawling on the sand pain coursing through his body with every movement. He kept yelling.

"Someone, help!" from the campfire, slightly far away a figure suddenly got up and sprinted over to him. It was Ganner.

"What's wrong!" he shouted, looking around for enemies.

"Rior, he's collapsed. He's bleeding!"

Ganner looked at him carefully and then ran back to the fireplace to pick up his large chemist's bag, rooting through it while he ran. He pulled out a vial with green liquid inside, with an exquisite glass stopper holding the liquid in the rounded vial as he dropped the back and sprinted for the tent.

Mirhalim began crawling back, but Ganner's running to and from the fire had attracted the others attention and everyone was moving towards the tent. Navar stopped and put Mirhalim's arm around his shoulder, helping him walk with much less pain.

When they made it to the tent Ganner was administering the green liquid, which now exposed to the air smelled foul, to Rior, who was still twitching slightly.

"What happened Ganner?" asked Syrento. His voice was barely curious, sounding more like he was confirming what he already knew.

"He drew on himself deeply, too many times. He should be fine soon though. Seen this happen a couple of times in training where trainees don't know their own limit, and go past it." The vial was empty now, and Rior was sort of stirring.

"Drew on himself to deeply – doing what?" Aela asked, "What is that you gave him anyways?"

"It's an ether."

"That doesn't really answer either of my question's"

"It would... if you knew what an ether did." Ganner smiled "Perhaps you should have paid more attention in --" he had to dodge a punch aimed at him by Aela and barely manage to do it, tripping and falling to the ground face first.

"Don't evade the question, you do it just as poorly as when you actually evade things. What did he do?"

Ganner looked at Mirhalim and was about to speak when, instead, Mirhalim answered "He was trying to heal my legs. With white magick. I asked him to do it. He is very talented, or was."

Everyone but Ganner and Syrento, of course somehow Cape knew, were visibly shocked.

"Why didn't he tell us?" Ciel asked, "It could have helped."

"That's exactly why. He doesn't want to use magick. He wants to follow in the footsteps of his brothers, especially Seshuan. They are all swordsmen and Seshaun is being trained to become a Knight-Templar. He knew that using magick would make him forced to, because he is a better mage than swordsman."

Syrento was the one to speak next, saying "Tell him when he wakes up that he can do whatever he chooses. Just not this again. If he is going to attempt to heal your legs take it slower. I suppose now riding will be easier for you?" Mirhalim nodded "Well then get some sleep because we leave early in the morning.

They all filtered out, except Ganner, behind Syrento. Mirhalim suddenly felt very tired and decided that Syrento was right. Sleep would definitely be good. He passed out beside Rior, who was breathing normally now.

* * *

About two hours later, six hours from sunrise.

He smiled underneath his black visor. They had slowed down so much! And he had not had to do anything. Following their footsteps was easy, especially when they were so clear. A brigand, apparently his name was Andrus, had fought them in some run down building in the morning. The mercenaries under this Andrus' command had almost won, apparently, but he highly doubted that. They had some very skilled fighters. Now they were declared murderers. The day was getting better and better.

As he rode to the gate he felt a slight pang of regret for having to have killed the Andrus boy. He had just been healed after all, the only one to survive. But he would try to pursue them and since he was this close he just couldn't have the loose ends.

The gate was open and two guards were standing at it, smiling. He tossed them a pouch full of gil as he rode out the gate, his companion appearing beside him almost by magick. The gate was being shut behind him, making an awful creaking sound.

They rode through the desert for about half an hour, and then he saw a single bird traveling the sky. His companion looked at him and he nodded. She raised her hand, and the bird stopped moving, dropping to the ground like a rock.

When they came upon it's corpse he saw that he had been right, allowing a hollow laugh to escape him. Tied to its legs were two pieces of paper. After reading them both he smiled again. This was definitely a good day.

**A day later than promised. Still 2 quick updates (sort of).**


	18. Because It Hates Him

Mirhalim was extremely uncomfortable. He finally managed to get some plate armour, but did not quite realize what it entailed, at least in the desert. The massive heat in the armour made him want to tear it off and toss it to the side. But since it took a little while to remove the armour the column would not stop for him to just get more comfortable. The only one wearing full armour other than him was Cape, of course, who did not the least bit uncomfortable. Ganner rode beside him today, strangely devoid of his cap going for, instead, a piece of a cloak draped over his head. Mirhalim thought it looked suitably ridiculous.

As his chocobo stumbled a bit on the poor footing of the sand pain jolted up his legs as they rattled within his armour. He cursed aloud and heeled his chocobo. Instead of moving forward the chocobo bent down one leg and tipped Mirhalim off, sending him rolling down the hill they had just been climbing. All he could think about as he rolled was plucking each individual feather off the chocobo, and enjoying it.

When Mirhalim finally came to a stop he was on his back. He attempted to stand but could not. He felt like he imagined a turtle might. The armour, on top of his still damaged legs made it impossible for him. He tried to roll over but by then the rest of his companions were down the hill, attempting to stifle laughs.

"Perhaps you shouldn't have been so insistent about wearing the armour today, Mirhalim." It was Syrento. Mirhalim even heard him laugh a bit.

"Could someone at least help me up? Not really enjoying being immobile very much,"

Aela and Rior each clasped a hand of his and yanked him to his feet, which didn't help much as Mirhalim's legs immediately buckled under the weight of the armour, sending him toppling to the ground again. This time the laughter was clearly evident from all of them, even Ciel whose laugh kind of scared Mirhalim.

Navar knelt down and started unbuckling Mirhalim's armour. As he was doing so Mirhalim looked up at Aela and was suddenly shocked by the fact that both sides of her hair were now very short.

"What happened to your hair, Aela?" Mirhalim asked.

"I don't want to talk about it" she said, lifting a hand to where her hair had been before and then jerking it down quickly.

"She lost part of it in the fight, and decided to cut the rest off so she wouldn't look so ridiculous. Looks like she took her sword to it, by its ragged cut." Ciel said, with what must pass for her as a smile.

"That is exactly what I did."

Ganner suddenly looked abashed and spoke out quietly "Uhhh, Aela, I had medical scissors you could have used."

Aela managed to look embarrassed and angry at the same time, but it quickly subsided. Navar had finished pulling the breastplate off Mirhalim, to the point where he could get up.

"Thanks, Navar."

"Not a problem."

Mirhalim's legs were still unsteady but he limped over to where his chocobo now was at the bottom of the hill. He stared it right in the eyes for a long while, as the others remounted.

"You aren't going to knock me off again, are you?"

The chocobo turned its head away from him and yawned. Mirhalim tried to put a foot in the stirrup but the chocobo leapt away with a flutter of its wings. Mirhalim angrily limped towards where it had gone.

"Look I'm not wearing armour anymore. It won't be as uncomfortable. Besides look at him." Mirhalim pointed towards Syrento, who was still in full armour, who now sat on his chocobo looking at Mirhalim. The chocobo turned and looked kwehing mournfully. "See you don't have it so bad, now let me get on.

He stepped in the stirrup and this time the chocobo did not leap away. He remounted and the chocobo began following the column again.

At the top of the hill Aela pulled out a long scope with glass at the end and began looking behind them. She waved the column to a short halt and pulled Syrento and Rior over to where she was. She pointed at something and then handed the scope to Rior, who nodded after looking through it, then handing it off to Syrento, who collapsed it when he was finished.

Rior gently rode up to rode up to the front of the column and announced, "We're still being followed. There is a decent sized group, probably city guards, or perhaps young knights like us riding out to finish some murderous bandits. They are at the camp we made this morning and are investigating it. So they are about seven hours back."

"I suppose we are going to keep riding and hope they just leave." Navar grumbled.

"That's the plan; we can't expect to have the charges removed from us if we stop to slay city knights, even if we could. Hopefully they will get recalled or just leave once we leave the area they can police." Navar grunted in response "Needless to say we are going to have to pick up the pace though. We are going to ride an extra hour into the night as well." They all nodded, and the column picked up speed.

The increased speed did not make Mirhalim any more comfortable, however, as his chocobo seemed to enjoy stumbling and bouncing. He would swear that it smiled every time he griped in pain. As he wondered why all chocobo seem to hate him, Ganner began to talk about how they had gotten out the gate. Mirhalim wasn't listening but from what he heard it just sounded like they stormed out before anyone could stop them.

Mirhalim suddenly stopped Ganner mid conversation and asked "Where did you get these chocobo anyways?"

"Oh, I just got our old ones, at least mostly them. I had to take a few others because I couldn't remember all which were ours. But I got you yours!" He said the last one smiling.

"Thanks, Ganner." Mirhalim said dryly.

Ganner did not notice Mirhalim's tone and responded with an earnest "You're welcome."

After not leaving the saddle for nearly eight hours since they had last stopped to feed and water the chocobo, Rior said they were stopping for the night. Joyfully Mirhalim jumped off his chocobo, completely forgetting about his legs, and fell down the moment his feet touched the ground. At least this time he could get himself up, and no one seemed to notice, busy as they were unpacking their own chocobo.

After everyone had set up their tents they met around the fire and began talking about who would do the nightly spar, as it had sort of become a ritual save the day they had fled Bervenia. Navar got up and decided to finally take up on his offer to fight Syrento.

Syrento only responded with a smile.

Fifteen minutes later both of them stood facing each other with their practice weapons, surrounded by a couple fires so they could see.

They circled each other for a short while before Navar tested Syrento's defence with a quick poke that was easily blocked. Syrento began a series of unrelenting slashes with his sword, angular and precise each one forcing Navar to move his shield to block a different part of his body, ending with a quick stab to the chest that Navar barely managed to get his shield in the way of.

As Syrento swung again Navar leapt over his strike, almost jumping Syrento's full height, and basically attempted to fall on Syrento with his lance. Syrento would have none of it and hit Navar with a brutal smash of his shield, sending him rolling backwards. Navar quickly rose but Syrento pressed Navar's stumble, forcing him backwards quite a few steps. Navar managed to pull back a bit, and they began circling again.

Navar raised his hand and quickly chanted "Sand that lies, move with the wind! Sandstorm!" as everyone was looking stunned at him a quick burst of wind seemed to center on Syrento, shrouding him from view with spinning sand. Mirhalim felt his legs ache as he remembered the geomancer who crushed his legs. Navar could do that as well?

"You want to play that way then?" Syrento's voice had a shredded sort of quality, coming from within the whirling sandstorm.

Syrento's sword came flying out of the sand storm that was centered on him. Navar caught it as it flew through the air towards him and attempted to throw it back. The resulting throw almost hit Aela, who was sitting actually a decent distance from Syrento. A blue light dissipated the sandstorm revealing Syrento who had his eyes closed and his cloth bound hands out wide. His exposed skin had a multitude of slightly bleeding cuts from the sand, and blood was dripping from tiny cuts around his face. He opened his eyes just in time to knock a charging spear down into the sand and kick Navar away. As Navar began to raise his hand again Syrento slammed the ground with his fist, moving Navar off balance as the ground heaved up in a line from Syrento.

As Navar fell off balance Syrento rushed up and caught him with five lighting fast punches, the final one an uppercut that, by some miracle, Navar managed to get his shield in the way of. The cracking sound echoed through the entire desert, it seemed.

Syrento shook his quickly numbing fist as Navar threw out a strike with his lance that he barely evaded. The next strike caught Syrento's coin pouch at his waist, spilling it onto the ground. Everyone, including the two combatants sort of stared and laughed at it for a short while. Then the fight was on again.

Syrento slid underneath Navar's stabs and kicked upwards at his spear, sending it flying out of Navar's hands. Navar quickly drew a small belt knife, or some practice version of one, and stabbed down at Syrento who bounced back onto his feet.

The rest of the group were staring in open awe of the fight. Mirhalim was even gaping. Rior was in something resembling a state of shock. Ganner had run over to check his saddlebags, when he arrived back he sighed.

"He is using my practice knife, you know. Didn't even see him take it" Ganner said to Mirhalim as Syrento delivered a brutal kick to Navar's shin. "Ouch, that must have hurt. I didn't know he could even use one."

As Navar delivered a lightning fast slash at Syrento, he managed to strike Navar's shield at an odd angle, snapping both the buckles that held the shield to his arm. Navar attempted to throw it in his face as a distraction, but that was a terrible throw too. Rior had to sprawl on the ground to avoid it.

Things were definitely looking bad for Navar, now only armed with a tiny knife. He attempted to use geomancy again, but as he was halfway through the chant Syrento clipped him on the head with a wild punch that made Navar sprawl to the ground to evade Syrento's left hand. He attempted to strike him with the knife as he rose but Syrento batted the knife out of his hands. Even left with nothing Navar did not give up. He attempted to punch Syrento but his wild strike was easily blocked, and Syrento finished Navar with an uppercut.

As Navar fell on the ground Syrento was already there helping him up.

"Excellent fight, Navar. Haven't had that much fun in a while. Made me use some things I'd only trained."

Navar smiled "I thought I at least had a chance. But even with a couple surprises I didn't even surprise you."

"You definitely did." Syrento pointed at his face, which was still bleeding. "I certainly did not expect the geomancy. Where did you learn it?"

Ganner ran up to the pair began rubbing Syrento's face with a wet cloth, dipped in a potion. The wounds on his face healed over as the cloth passed over them.

Navar stood up and spat out a bit of blood to the side. He smoothed his now unruly hair back with his hand. "I've always known a bit of geomancy", he laughed, "It's hard to learn, you have to know what you and your opponent are standing on and a specific spell for each case. I only know a few of the cases, and there are not many people around who can teach me so it has gone rather... unused."

Beside Mirhalim Aela was grudgingly handing over a few gil to Ciel. After the fight the group mingled for a while discussing the fight and joking around. After a while they all left to their individual tents. Before Mirhalim went to his tent he limped over to his chocobo, pulling the bundle of papers out of his pack. When he limped into his tent and lighted a candle he saw Navar. Mirhalim tossed the candle at him in surprise, which Navar snagged out of the air.

"Trying to light the tent on fire, Mirhalim?"

Mirhalim held his chest with his hand, breathing heavily. His heart was beating quite rapidly "Are you trying to kill me? Why are you even here?"

"I couldn't let you get into this alone, now could I? Now untie those bindings and give me half. I don't care if I read this thing in chronological order; just want to see if it's worth reading."

Mirhalim untied the bindings and passed him half of the stack of parchment. Navar lit a lantern with the candle and returned it to Mirhalim, who did the same.

"What are the Germonique Scriptures? Wasn't he the one who betrayed Ajora" Navar asked, after about half an hour of reading.

"No idea, never paid much attention in church." Mirhalim answered. He was reading through some part about Princess Ovelia being abducted by Delita. It was definitely different than what he traditionally heard.

"What are these papers called anyways? It's kind of difficult to understand when you start halfway through." Navar pulled the top sheet off his stack and put it face down on the ground.

"The letter that came with it said it was written by Olan Durai, son of Orlandeau. It's about that famous heretic during the Lion's War: Ramza Beoulve. You know, the man they called the dark scourge of the church?"

They read for almost two more hours into the night. After that Navar snuck out of the tent with barely a sound. Mirhalim rebound the papers and put them in his pack that now lay strewn across the floor.

He fell asleep almost the moment he hit the bed.

* * *

A woman's scream echoed through the night. The entire camp was up in an instant. The full moon lit up the black night in the desert almost like day.

A woman ran into the camp, screaming like a banshee, saying bandits had attacked her family, and were chasing her now. Every one of the knights drew their swords, the steel hiss was unanimous. They followed the screaming woman, now much less hysterical, into a small canyon. There they saw one man.

Draped in a black cloak he smiled underneath his visor. It had been a while since he actually fought. The woman pointed at him, screaming that it was him who murdered her family. His smile only grew larger. All thirteen knights charged towards him. He would have to draw his sword for this. His itching hands moved towards the hilt.

They were close, one of them stopping to cast a spell. He ignored that one. He would die soon enough. Sure enough a knife suddenly blossomed in his throat. He let out no scream. No knight would hear his passing.

They were close enough. He drew his blade, its blue gem that was inlaid in the blade itself glowing dark as he chanted "Earth, shudder beneath my darkness. Abyssal Blade!"

The ground erupted with a hiss, and then exploded out in front of him, spreading wider. Knives of darkness leapt at anyone in his way, cutting them apart. His companion was already out of the way. It caught seven of the remaining knights, not a single one stood up afterwards. The five remaining knights just stared in shock and horror.

He felt his flesh rip open on his sword hand, felt his blood burst into his gauntlet. He discarded it and let the blood drip freely onto his lowered sword. The knights managed to muster up enough courage to charge him once again. He smiled again, he would have a chance to actually use his blade.

The first one to him was far too hesitant in his attack, and paid for it as he ran the knight through. He felt the blood left on the sword as he pulled it out, ready again. The others backed away again and he laughed at them.

The woman in the back raised her hand and suddenly the canyon was an inferno. The flames were but one step from him, and he enjoyed the heat instead of the cool of the night. When he saw the flames begin to die he charged in. Only two knights were left and both of them had bad burns. One of them walked towards to him, his sword still extended. The other collapsed on the ground, dropping his weapons on the ground, tucking his head by his knees.

The man who charged him was a decent swordsman, and he enjoyed himself immensely. The knight swung his sword at his helmet, trying to destroy it with a single strike. He parried it and destroyed the knight's helmet instead. Every swing the knight tried he parried and then performed the same strike, except he would land the blow. The knight, now without a breastplate or shield as well as missing his helmet, tried to deliver a series of quick strikes to his head and would have attempted to finish it with a slash at his body but he ran the knight through first.

When he felt the man's life leave he pushed his body off his sword. He turned to face the last knight, who still sat cowering.

"How would you like to live?"

The knight looked up, his eyes wide, still gibbering in terror. When he could not form words he just nodded.

"I thought so." He felt his companion by his shoulder. She smiled and waved at the knight, who backed up to the canyon wall, his weapons on the ground. "Go back to whoever sent you. Inform them that the murderers you were chasing ambushed you and killed your companions. Get this person to send word to Besselat to guard against these people, but do not engage them unless necessary. Can you do that?"

The knight only nodded.

He looked his companion in the eyes and nodded. She raised her hand partway into the air.

"Do you feel that?" He said coldly

The knight clutched his chest in obvious pain. He looked as if he was begging them to stop.

"I'll take that as a yes. My companion here..." She waved again "Will make that spell much more painful if you do not do as I say. And I will know if you do not. Now go."

The knight took off at breakneck speed. He even tore off his armour as he ran, so he could run faster. He laughed at that.

"Think he knows you can't do that?"

She shook her head with a smile.

"I must say I was expecting more fight out of these knights. It was rather... disappointing. Perhaps he should have let them be. I was worried these would be able to defeat them. Now I don't think so. If they had won though... who knows where the papers would have ended up."

His companion was already healing his hand, which he had totally ignored. Using his powers always made the curse much worse. She could heal his hand but his overall health would slowly decrease as he continued to use his powers. But they were almost addicting.

"Ahh well I want to be the ones to catch them anyways. You did well, by the way."

She only smiled.

**Another Chapter already? No way. And its long? Impossible.  
To head off any comments about what spell is that that she uses, Its death, she just doesn't really finish it.  
So review if you want to, just enjoy the chapter.**


	19. The Best Offense

"It seems that they've stopped following us." Aela had been scanning the area behind them with her long scope for almost fifteen minutes before saying anything. Her ragged, short hair still shocked Mirhalim every time he saw her.

"That's a little early. They should have been behind us almost another day. I would have wagered on that." Rior seemed in a state of disbelief to Mirhalim, "Are you sure?"

"No signs of them, no clouds of dust from movement, but their camp is not packed up. They just left all of it behind, it seems."

"That is... odd." Rior's brows furrowed in while he thought. "My letter has probably not had enough time to reach Seshuan, let alone to have him reply and call them off."

"Perhaps they were waylaid by bandits?" Ciel suggested, trying to get Aela to give her the scope so she could see.

"A company of city knights, waylaid by bandits we never saw? I suppose someone could have killed them while they slept, it just seems very unlikely. If it were bandits would they not have looted the camp?" Rior said as Aela passed the scope to Ciel.

"Why don't we just take the blessings as they come and ride?" Mirhalim finally said something; he was tired of just sitting there.

"A good idea, for once." Ciel muttered.

"Might as well. Standing here will do nothing and I definitely do not want to travel in that direction." Rior moved his chocobo back to the head of the column, taking his place beside Syrento. The others had been watching Ganner waste ammunition at a cactus, perhaps getting a third of his bullets to connect.

Mirhalim rode beside Navar, who seemed completely asleep on his chocobo. His head rested on its neck and his back was slumped. His red hair was a complete mess, which was odd for the man who always seemed to keep it smoothed back, even during battles. Mirhalim seriously considered pushing him off his mount for fun, but knew it would end up with them having to at least spar in the night and he did relish that thought.

Rior had attempted to heal his legs again that morning, but it seemed as if he made decent progress this time, as Mirhalim's pain was far less noticeable. He still had an annoying limp, however. Before he had even done that Rior had been training with Syrento, even managing to catch one sword blow, although by total fluke as he admitted himself. At this rate Rior was going to outclass him in swordsmanship, if he already did not.

His train of thought was interrupted by a small signal from Aela, who was in front of him. She unobtrusively pointed to the left side of the column and as he glanced over he saw a sort of stirring of the sand. A few forms were wearing brown clothing that made them blend in well with the sand. They were still a ways away, but they were definitely watching the column. As he looked towards Syrento and Rior they nodded at him.

They rode a short ways and were atop another dune when Mirhalim heard a muted twanging sound. He dove off his chocobo and yanked the sleeping Navar to the ground with him. The bolt from the crossbow he had heard ended up whizzing into the side of the sand dune, far below them. He had been the only one to attempt to get out of the way.

Navar was definitely awake now and was in a genuine state of surprise at where he was. Ciel, who rode behind them with Ganner, had already strung her bow and was currently fitting an arrow to the string. Ganner held his gun out as well and was taking aim at what Mirhalim thought was nothing. The rest of them only held shields out currently.

"Where are they?" shouted Ciel.

"No idea." came the reply from both Rior and Syrento. The column had stopped moving, and they were now forming into a circle with the chocobo in the middle.

"So we wait for them to fire at us again?" Ciel said, in a normal voice now.

"Seems like the only plan." Navar said, picking up his spears that lay spilled on the ground from where he had been pulled down to.

"Aela", Ciel said, "Get your short hair and scope over here. You are going to be spotting them for me." Ciel was smiling. She seemed to enjoy the moment that had Mirhalim in an odd kind of terror. Combat was one thing, but not being able to see your opponent was another to him.

Aela walked over and held up the scope to her eye. Another bolt whizzed and Syrento took this one in his shield. She immediately looked in the direction the bolt had come from.

"About seventy-five paces away, maybe twelve from that cactus" She pointed at a gnarled cactus, "In that fold in the sand."

Ciel sighted her target quickly, then pulled the bowstring to her ear and released with a twang that seemed to echo through the whole desert. Mirhalim saw the arrow arc up slightly and then fall down in an area he could see no one. Suddenly the part of the desert he was staring at seemed to move, and a person struggled to their feet, an arrow sticking out of their back, and then fell over again.

Another three crossbow bolts whizzed almost immediately after Ciel's shot, but only one of them came anywhere near, coming awfully close Mirhalim's feet. Ciel made some disparaging comment about what substandard weapons crossbows were, and then began scanning the ground for targets.

A gunshot echoed from behind him as Ganner fired at... something. Nothing resulted from the shot, it seemed, until one man started crawling backwards in fear and Ciel took the easy shot at the now visible target.

For almost thirty minutes nothing happened. Mirhalim felt as if he was going insane. All of his companions were just standing there, not even turning their heads. Of course neither did he. Navar began shifting beside him, making sure blood kept flowing into his legs. Ciel had an arrow nocked, but not drawn.

Aela shifted her foot in an odd symbol to Ciel. "Forty-some paces to the left of the first one you shot. Probably about the same distance as well. He is partially covered in sand. A difficult shot."

"Can't see him"

"Wait for the wind, it blows his hair."

A small gust blew through perhaps a minute later. Ciel sighted him quite quickly when she was looking for him. As she nocked he knew she was aiming at him and let off a well aimed bolt. Mirhalim barely even saw it travel but Ciel seemed to know it was coming and easily got out of its way. The crossbowman was running away, taking the small amount of time the shot had given him. Ciel just grunted and shot the arrow into his fleeing back.

Four remaining bandits got up almost simultaneously and started running away. Ciel shot out another arrow at the closest one, catching her between the shoulder blades. As she nocked the second Rior reached out his hand and stopped her. He had a sad look on his face.

"What are you doing?! I could have gotten another one! Let us chase them down!" She shouted, attempting to fit another arrow to her bowstring.

"They are running Ciel. Are we really the murderers they say we are? Besides they may want us to chase them. It is a small number that assaulted us; perhaps they have laid an ambush. Were we to pursue into the canyon they are running to.... Or perhaps were we to mount our chocobo and ride down there, they would retake positions and catch us unprepared?" That did not sound like the Rior he had first set out with. Perhaps being declared a murderer weighed heavily on him, thought Mirhalim.

They just mounted up and left, careful for more remaining bandits, however.

Once out of the area that Syrento considered dangerous they picked up the pace quite a bit.

When they finally made camp, Navar asked how much longer before they reached Besselate. According to Aela, who had immediately consulted a map with Rior, they would approach Besselat midmorning the next day.

As they sat around the camp Ciel unleashed her anger from the encounter on Rior.

"They were bandits, Illu boy, and you probably just unleashed them on some unwary travellers!" That sentence was the start of the shouting.

"What civilians would be travelling across the desert, across no marked road?"

"Then why else were they there! Obviously someone frequents that path. Besides, you know what troubles runners have given us. Do you want to have another encounter in an abandoned warehouse? Perhaps none of will walk away from the next, instead of just the cripple over there." She glared at Mirhalim.

"I do not seek that Ciel! I am tired of death, or do you not tire of sending men to judgement! Well I do."

Mirhalim broke in with an observation "Do normal travellers get waylaid as often as we? I mean we have had three encounters with bandits-" He stopped when both Rior and Ciel looked at him, their glares making him stop mid-sentence.

Ciel went over to her pack after that, and when she returned to the fire, she threw three pieces of rope towards Rior, two small and one large.

"What are these for?"

"Since we can't fight with weapons, perhaps we shall duel with magick to assuage my anger and find out who is right." She smiled "No death in this so it should be fine for you. Just tie the two small ones around your wrists, and the large one around your waist. Our objective is simply to cut or burn any one of them off. First one to do so wins. Sound good?"

"How do I know you won't just set me on fire?"

She smiled at that "You don't, but I don't know you won't either."

"Hold on Ciel, he has had very little, if any training in magick. He may not be very precise and that could go badly." Syrento had stood up and was looking at one of the ropes on the ground "There is just too much risk."

"I don't care!" She shouted and slammed the ground with her hand. "I want to fight him. I accept whatever risks."

"So be it. Don't come to me when you get burnt." Syrento turned his head; Mirhalim saw a look of disgust on his face.

"That's the reason we carry Ganner around. Is it not?" Ciel was insane, Mirhalim was sure of it now. Although he had thought he was sure before.

"Alright, Ciel, if you want it that badly..." Rior was in the process of tying the rope around his waist as he spoke.

They began the battle almost immediately. Three bursts of flame swelled up immediately around Rior and he barely managed to get out of way of the rising pillars of fire.

"I thought we were being precise, not dangerous."

"You aren't as good as you think you are if you thought that was a full blast." Immediately after her saying that she chanted "Scatter, frozen blades! Blizzard!"

Needles of ices appeared out of nowhere and, after hovering for a quick second, shot after Rior's wrist ropes. He rolled away, but caught some of the tiny needles in his shoulder as he moved. They instantly melted away, leaving tiny pinpricks across the shoulder of his tunic. A tiny bit of blood seeped out.

"You're going to have to do something on the offense to win here, boy. So far it's just target practice!" Ciel was grinning openly.

Another volley of shards started to form in the air around Rior, but he looked somewhat calm. Mirhalim heard him voice part of a chant "Silent light..." the rest of it faded behind the whistling of the ice shards. As they rushed towards Rior they suddenly started exploding in mid air. Small, round... distortions, that was the only way Mirhalim could put what he saw, were rushing around in front of him intercepting the tiny shards. When the ice shards were all removed the circles floated idly in the air in front of him.

Ciel looked shocked, but quickly recovered. She tried a few bursting pillars of flame again, but the disks kept most of them from rising; the rest Rior could avoid himself.

"Seems your offense isn't doing so well Ciel" Rior said, the disks once again hovering in front of him, warping his appearance as they passed in front of him. It was as if Mirhalim was looking at him through bad quality glass.

"Shields don't really have a limiter, whereas I am holding back. You still can't win like this, you know, boy."

"Don't hold back then."

"You have no idea how much I have wanted to not hold back!" She shouted it and immediately after a blinding lightning bolt crashed down out of the clear sky. When Mirhalim looked back, the blinding purple clearing from his eyes, Rior was crouched under significantly fewer disks. They had blocked the massive bolt.

Ciel saw an opportunity and took it shouting out "Star's fire awaken and deliver judgement! Firaga!"

Rior also chanted out "Ancient light, rise and defend! Wall!"

A wheel of flame lit up the sky and a larger ball of fire seemed to wheel around it, absorbing the smaller fireballs in the wheel and then it came crashing down from the sky at Rior, searing the very air all around them. Syrento, the closest to the battle as he was observing, had to leap away to avoid it. The giant ball of flame crashed into a set of hexagonal tiles in front of Rior.

The flame stressed against the hexagon shield to the point that Rior seemed to be supporting it with his upraised hand. Then, suddenly, the flames subsided, and the wall seemed to fall apart. Rior stood, sweating heavily, waiting for Ceil's next move.

She raised her hands and then just lowered them again. Glaring at Rior, she just stood there, waiting. Rior walked up to her and cut her wrist rope with a single shard of ice.

Mirhalim sat in shock. Why had she quit when she was so fervent before?

"Well done." Ciel said, grudgingly, to Rior. "A decent choice."

"More like the only choice" he smiled at her, "I never could get much talent with the offensive magicks. Although I did expect you to go till you collapsed."

She laughed at that, "I am not quite as foolish as you. I know my own limits."

Mirhalim was taken aback by the normality of the conversation, at least for Ciel. It seemed all her previous anger had just disappeared. She even remained that way for the rest of the time around the fire. Ganner was the only one to remark on the fight at all, it was almost as if it had never happened.

Eventually they all departed for their tents, Navar was waiting inside Mirhalim's again, eager to read the papers. Mirhalim did pride himself on the fact that he did not throw the candle at him this time, when his hand came out of the darkness.


	20. It Only Took Thirteen

The sun seemed to be there to spite Mirhalim that morning. Its light eked through a small tear in his tent and right into his eyes that he struggled to keep closed. He had been up late the previous night, and it seemed that just as he closed his eyes the sun assaulted him. At least they would be at Besselat at mid-day, if they were pardoned. Aela had volunteered the previous night to go on alone to check.

He rose from the mat on the floor and began fitting himself with his belt. The clasp was broken so he had to repair it using a small piece of thin rope. He had wanted to buy a new one at Bervenia but that had gone poorly. Perhaps he could get one at the fort, but he wasn't holding his breath.

He rolled up his bedding; shoving it into a tan, dust bedraggled pack. He then lifted the flap of his tent and headed outside. Rior nodded his head at him, already striking his tent. Everyone else was already awake, except Navar. When Mirhalim was perhaps halfway through striking his own tent, Navar stumbled out of his, his hair smoothed back this morning but still looking quite tired.

"Learning from Mirhalim, Navar?" Ciel said, her tent already packed and on her chocobo.

He had no reply, instead hurling a tent peg at her. She didn't even have to dodge it as it soared by. "Does that ever work, Navar?"

Again he was silent, but this time he did not throw anything at her. She laughed and then helped him strike the rest of his tent.

After they had all packed their chocobo Aela came sprinting back to the camp. She was panting heavily.

"We have a detachment of knights coming from Besselat towards us." She sucked in a huge gulp of air. "Not entirely sure they are hostile. But..."

"How did they see us? We can't even see Besselat." Rior said looking slightly confused.

"Only way I can think is that they were told we are out here." Navar grumbled.

"That pretty much settles it then. It has to be the message Rior sent." Mirhalim said cheerfully. Finally something was going their way.

"Still odd that they would come to greet us, and with that many knights. I would suggest we stay prepared but not openly hostile." Syrento was already in armour and his cape rustled a bit in the breeze. Why did he always have to see the worst in every situation?

They headed out, fully armed and ready for anything. Mirhalim and Navar chose not to wear their full armour, but Aela, Rior and Syrento donned their full armour. Mirhalim could already see the sweat from the desert's heat streaming down Rior's face. Mirhalim instead strapped on his hated leather armour, and Navar wore chain and his helmet. He only had one spear left but held a practice one with a retrieved spear head strapped on in his back slung quiver.

Ganner had begun wearing his cap again. It had suffered some sort of damage earlier so now a very visible, very not-blue patch covered where a hole had once been. He was sorting through his bag placing vials in a way that, to Mirhalim, seemed totally random.

They soon came within sighting distance of the knights, who made no move to draw their weapons. A single green-cloaked knight road forward. Rior interpreted that as a good sign and road forward to greet the knight.

"Approach no further, murderer!" shouted the knight. Rior held his chocobo still. Nearby Mirhalim Ciel pulled out an arrow and knocked it to her bow, all the while muttering oaths as if she were a sailor. The rest of them drew their weapons almost in unison.

"Tell the woman to un-nock her bow, unless you all want to die here." The green cloaked knight's hand rose, showing golden armour underneath the robes. "One signal is all I need."

Rior nodded at Ciel, who did not remove the arrow. Instead, after a few seconds, Aela groaned and delivered a kick to the back of Ciel's knee, causing her to fall to the ground, the arrow shooting into the sand in front of her. She leapt back up at Aela, who grabbed her by the collar.

"Are you an idiot?! Stop! That knight is a templar, and they have us evened with the rest. I, personally, do not want to end up as a stain on the ground." She dropped her and Ciel gathered herself and her weapon, but she made no move to redraw her bow.

"I'm going to blame you for whatever is about to go wrong, Aela." Ciel muttered.

"You call living something wrong, Ciel?"

The templar looked at Rior "You have so little control over your group. How did you manage to kill twelve knights?" His blue eyes seemed to bore directly into Rior's mind.

"We didn't kill any knights! We killed some brigands who attempted to waylay us in the city." Rior was flustered; Mirhalim could even hear it from where he was.

"And then cut down twelve knights in an ambush instead of turning yourselves in and explaining. Why flee if not in guilt?" The Templar's voice grew cold as he spoke and Mirhalim saw his hand stray to the hilt of the knight sword at his side.

Rior had no real answer. Mirhalim could not hear it from where he was but he guessed Rior was stuttering to explain.

"That's what I thought. By the power of Ajora and the Church lay down your arms and I will not carry out your sentence here!" He spoke to not only Rior, but the rest of the knights as well. He sneered "Perhaps you may even find redemption before death. I hope not."

Syrento started riding towards Rior, casting down his sword and shield to the ground as he rode. Aela sighed and muttered "Don't do something stupid." Her hand was around Ciel's wrist, who had attempted to draw another arrow after the sentence that was delivered by the templar.

"Knight-Templar who gives you authority to prosecute us? Templars do not enforce the law of the land, only church law." Syrento did not even lift up his visor to speak.

"I was asked to provide these knights with help, considering how you casually ambushed others. Besides, my sword gives me the ability to do this." He drew his sword with a hiss from the scabbard. It was bronze coloured but it had the clear ring of steel when he drew it. It was not decorated with gems or inscription like almost every other knight-sword Mirhalim had seen. "Do you wish to challenge it, murderer? Because I would gladly save Ivalice the rope."

Rior suddenly seemed to regain the ability to speak. "We are on a mission from the church itself! Bound by the words of Templars greater than you!"

"Really now. Prove it and if so perhaps you may be granted some clemency." Mirhalim cursed as soon as he heard it and tried to scramble for the back at the back of his chocobo.

"You there!" Mirhalim looked back at the templar, "Yes you the one rooting through your pack. Stop immediately or you have doomed your allies and yourself."

Rior began riding back towards the group when Syrento looked back at Mirhalim and then at Navar, who was also quite worried. Syrento lowered his head, running his right hand along the front of his visor and then clenching it in a fist by his side. The templar began to ride closer to Syrento, sword drawn, and seemed to be about to lean in and whisper something when Syrento unleashed a massive punch to the side of the templar's head, crumpling his helmet under his fist. As he fell to the ground Syrento caught him and held him up, holding the templar's own sword to his neck. Everybody stopped and gaped at him except Ciel, who cheered.

The entire group of eight knights on the other side just stared at him.

"Don't move!" He roared, "Don't move and he won't die! Lay down your arms and leave! Return to Besselat and pursue us no more!" The rest of them quickly rode to Syrento's side, save Rior who just sat in shock.

The knights moved backwards and then began to slowly disarm, one by one. As the last two moved to disarm a huge red crystal spike erupted from the ground and stabbed at Syrento, who dove to avoid it, but it managed to slice open his left shoulder. It went through his armour as if it was nothing but air. The Templar was awake.

"You think such tactics could defeat a knight of the church! You are going to burn for striking me!" He threw off his green cloak and held his sword pointed towards them, "You will taste the true power of a Knight-Templar!"

The other knights were already grabbing their weapons. Rior finally had snapped to and rushed towards the fighting. Ciel shot an arrow at the templar, but it was swatted aside by the templar's sword. As Mirhalim and Navar rushed towards the templar, Mirhalim noticed that Aela had not even drawn her weapon.

"Stop!" yelled Rior, "We do not go against the church! Do not make this worse!" Navar turned towards him and the templar swatted him in the head with the flat of his blade. Navar collapsed, his helmet totally destroyed.

"Listen to your leader. You'll get a whole week more of life!" the Templar yelled. Around Mirhalim Syrento had collapsed and Ganner was treating his badly wounded shoulder. Aela stood with her arms folded and Navar lay on the ground. Ciel was the only one fighting with him and the eight knights were closing in, weapons drawn. Mirhalim began to lay down his weapon.

"Come on Mirhalim, just when I thought you were doing a good job." Ciel said.

"Just lay down your bow, Ciel. You aren't going to win alone."

Rior was slowly approaching her from behind and as she was about to shoot at the templar again he shoved her sideways and she loosed the arrow into empty air.

"Again! Can't anyone just let me shoot!" she yelled leaping to her feat, pointing the bow at Rior this time. However the Templar smashed her with the flat of his blade like he had Navar, but she had no helmet to protect her. She went down immediately and, despite the fact that the sharp edge had not hit her, she was bleeding from the side of her head.

"That was unnecessary!" Rior shouted at the Templar "We had surrendered!"

"I decide what is necessary." He turned back to his own knights "Shackle them, especially that one." he pointed at Syrento. His golden armour gleamed in the bright sunlight as he picked up his cloak.

"He will burn for attacking a templar. The rest of you may be pardoned but most likely will hang for murder. I will search through your belongings myself and see if your story is true. If so all of you will be released except him." He pulled off his crushed in helmet, revealing a young man, barely older than any of them, Mirhalim guessing his age in the early twenties. He had short black hair and a seemingly perpetual sneer. "Get their chocobo and tie them to the reigns. Let's get them locked in fort Besselat."

* * *

The whole fight did not go as he expected. He did not expect them to simply ride up and greet them. He did not expect them to capitulate and then offer to retrieve the papers, papers that he promised to let no eye see. Perhaps the boy had such reverence for the church? He did not expect the one who looked the very picture of a knight to smash in the templar's helmet. Although that scenario probably would have been the best. He did not expect them to give up a second time either, but they did.

"We can't let them get to Besselat. I'll never get the papers if they are handed to the Templars. However I don't want to alert them either. Any ideas would be helpful."

She just shrugged her shoulders, silent as ever.

"Perhaps we should just strike now." He said, flexing his gauntleted hands

She smiled at that. That was enough for him. He drew his blade.

"Would you like to start?" She raised her hand in response.

* * *

Mirhalim sat on his choboco, tied to his reigns. He was highly worried but the rest of them looked nonchalant. At least the ones who were awake. Navar was beginning to stir but Ciel was still catatonic. Ganner had tried to treat her head wound but was no longer allowed. Syrento's left arm was wrapped, but no potions or magic was allowed to treat him. Rior had tried earlier when they had stopped Ganner so they gagged him.

He tried to shift the shackles that bit into his wrists to no avail. The entire thing was not very comfortable at all. Aela seemed to notice something as her eyes widened when he looked at her. She leaned down to try to tell the knight who rode beside her but he shoved her away. She looked at Mirhalim and mouthed something, but he couldn't understand what she was trying to say.

Mirhalim felt a sort of vibration in the air. His hair rose on his arms and as he stared at them the sky erupted with lightning. It wasn't like the lightning Ciel had used, instead it was more like circles of lightning. It struck almost everyone in the column, including him. The light blinded him as he crashed to the ground; suspended by the reigns he were tied to.

When he finally could see again he noticed that his own comrades had somehow evaded the lightning. They were low in their saddles and had pushed anything metal as low as they could. Most of the column knights had been hit but only three failed to rise from the ground. The templar looked unfazed.

"Spread out! Find them but don't travel together. Be prepared for magic!" The templar shouted. He had drawn his sword.

A woman in desert shades stood up, her face masked. Her dark hair blew in the wind as she threw a four bladed knife at one of the closest knights to her. Mirhalim didn't see where it had hit him but the knight collapsed after being hit.

The rest of the knights began to circle her, with the templar close behind. At least until she simply... disappeared. They looked around in shock for a while and began to search around. The templar furiously sprinted back towards the column and ungagged Rior.

"Is this one of your companions! Call her off."

"She is no companion of ours."

"You lie! Who else would attack us?"

"Perhaps the one that killed your knights." Rior responded coolly. "You should let us go, we can help."

The templar scoffed "Ha, you think I am that insane? Attempt to escape and I will strike you down myself."

A knight searching a seemingly random dune of the desert suddenly clutched his chest and fell to the ground. The templar rushed out towards where the knight had fallen. A figure swathed in a dark cloak was suddenly on the top of that same dune.

"Knights, another!" the templar shouted. All the knights turned towards him. A hollow laugh echoed from the figure. He drew a sword, a knight sword with a long blue gem in the blade.

"Put down your blade! You are outnumbered!" The templar shouted.

"What is your name?" The figure said back. It sounded as if his voice had already echoed before he spoke.

The templar did not respond and instead started chanting "Halt those of wrongdoing! Judgement Blade!"

Three bluish crystals rained down on the dark figure. The figure just simply reappeared somewhat of a small distance away.

"Nice try templar, but you aren't going to get anywhere until you tell me your name." He simply pointed at a knight other than the templar and a spear seemed to leap out from nowhere and strike him in the chest. The woman who threw it appeared again, laughing with a large grin. Two of the knights chased after her.

"How many will die before you just provide me with your name, young templar?"

Rior was busy chanting as silently as he could. Ciel's head wound knitted together before Mirhalim's eyes. Her own eyes snapped open suddenly and she quickly saw the situation. It was her turn to chant then as she superheated the shackles. She then pulled and they tugged apart. Rior was busy healing Syrento and Ciel moved to unlock Aela's shackles.

"Why are we running now? Why didn't we before." Mirhalim asked.

"Now we have a chance." Rior was concentrating on Syrento's arm.

Another knife whirled towards one of the knights who were chasing the woman. She was able to stay freely ahead of them. It caught the knight in the throat and he fell hard.

"Another falls, Templar, and still I do not have your name." The cloaked figure said after a quick exchange with their weapons that led to the templar taking distance again.

"My name is Solyeuse." He said calmly, levelling his blade.

"Was that so hard?" He moved his left hand up into the air and his companion began to move towards him, discarding a knife she had been about to throw. "I just needed to know if you were one of the templars who had... disagreements with me in the past. I never saw them, myself, but I know each one of their names."

Ciel only had Mirhalim, and Ganner left to free. Aela and Navar were working to round up their chocobo and their packs.

"I'm so glad we got this out of the way because, now, now I can kill you." He tore of his shrowding cloak, revealing a smooth black armour underneath. Mirhalim could barely make out his face but the one thing he could see was a smile.

The gem in the dark armoured man's sword seemed to absorb light as he chanted "Darkness in my heart, flow through my sword! Crushing Blow!"

A black aura descended around Solyeuse. As it seemed to rush inwards Solyeuse tried to run out but the crushing aura caught his arm in a burst of darkness. When Mirhalim looked again Solyeuse's arm was simply... gone.

Ciel burnt through his chains and as he pulled them apart a piece of the molten metal splattered on the sand.

Solyeuse was on the ground, but even without an arm he wasn't done. The same crystal lance that had stabbed Syrento came shooting out of the ground at the knight. It completely missed the knight, but yet he was bleeding from some unknown wound.

"Heretic! Practitioner of the blackest of arts! If not I another templar will bring you down!" Solyeuse shouted and another lance of crystal shot out, but it was nowhere near the knight.

They were all free now and Rior urged them to begin riding. The last knight, who had been watching the battle in awe suddenly noticed them. She began running back, drawing the attention of the dark knight, who sent his companion towards Mirhalim and the others. She easily overtook the knight and stabbed her in the back with a long, single edged blade while she ran.

"How is she gaining on us? We are riding!" Shouted Navar from the back of the column.

Mirhalim looked back and it was true. She was outpacing the chocobo and was steadily gaining on them. One of the four sided daggers flew towards Navar but, somehow, he caught it through the ring in the middle.

"Thanks!" he shouted back.

She looked taken aback and stopped for a second, but soon began her running again.

"Do you want to finish this hand to hand, Knight-Templar Solyeuse? So many of you lack the skills required for it nowadays, relying too much on your sword techniques."

Solyeuse provided no answer, instead chanting from his knees. "Power of a doomed planet! Northswain's Strike!" Another lance of crystal shot up, this time catching the knight in the left shoulder, but barely. A great rent appeared in the armour, but it seemed to barely scratch the knight behind it.

"I suppose that includes you too then" he said. He ran up to the Templar, who was now face down on the ground. "Better than most, I must say. I enjoyed our meeting, Solyeuse."

He had to catch up with the running knights. How could he have let the Templar get between him and what he needed? He slammed his fist against the ground. Hopefully his companion could catch them. He looked at his arm. It was bleeding from both the wound the Templar had left and another had opened from his curse. As he looked at it he barely noticed falling to his knees, and then collapsing facedown on the ground.

"She just stopped!" Navar shouted forward.

"What? Why?" shouted Rior.

"Who cares?" yelled Aela "Just keep riding"

* * *

She was by his side again. Her healing arts had probably saved him. He had thanked her but she just looked sullen. He had removed her from her chase.

"Don't worry." He said, pulling his gauntleted hand softly along her chin. She seemed rather sad to him. "We will find them again, we aren't far behind. Now let's ride out!" He heeled his chocobo forward.

**A longer update. Yes the view switches back and forth a lot. I liked it so.....**

**Just read and review if you wish.  
**


	21. No Longer Silent

They had been riding hard for almost an hour and had seen no sign of anyone pursuing them. Rior cautiously called them all to slow down, saving their chocobo's legs. The mood was still tense, and everyone would occasionally glance around at random times. Even the chocobo looked scared; they too were tilting their heads to look behind them occasionally.

"What was that? Those two just slaughtered all of our captors, with no effort." Mirhalim whispered to Syrento, while Ganner was wrapping a bandage around the wound on his arm, hoping that he would have some idea about what had just happened.

Syrento grunted as Ganner tightened the bandage and shook his head slightly. "I have no idea, Mirhalim. Besides I was barely comatose for most of the fight. I only saw the black... fog that took our jailer's arm." He adjusted himself on his chocobo and looked around, then leaned in closer and whispered, "Perhaps you should return what you have taken; I won't do something so stupid again."

Mirhalim got over his shock quickly, forcing it down. Syrento was right, again. But returning it would not be as easy as taking it had been. Since he lost it originally Rior's eyes never left the satchel that now held the false papers. Originally the plan had been to alternate the pack between him and Rior, but Rior had held it until it was stolen, and now never let it leave his sight. What would have happened had the Templar seen false papers? He may have slain Rior on the spot for deceiving him, knowing the man's disposition.

He resolved to return it and nodded to Syrento, who clasped his shoulder. "I knew you would make the right decision."

Mirhalim eased himself back to his position beside Navar. He was spinning the knife that the woman had thrown on his finger. Knowing his strange fascination with throwing things he shifted in his saddle so he could duck easier as he rode up to him.

"We are going to return them, Navar." He said simply. His voice was quiet enough for only the two of them to hear.

A stunned look crossed his face as Navar's mind quickly struggled with wondering what Mirhalim was talking about. "But... but..." he spluttered still confused a bit. He then regained himself and continued "How, and why? Why not later?"

"Just as soon as we can, we will return them. It was a mistake to take them in the first place." Mirhalim did not even know if he really meant it. The writings seemed factual, and contained what was a covered up version of history, done in concert by church and king. What they contained could be incredibly important to history.

He reached his hand inside his pack to lift up the papers so that he could see them. They were still there, and had not suffered any from the roughing of the Templar.

Navar quickly glanced at them and shoved Mirhalim's hand back into the pack. As he looked at him he saw Ciel and Rior ride up. How he could stand riding beside her or even conversing with her Mirhalim would never know. She was not as scathing towards Rior as before he had defeated her, but she could still peel the bark off a tree with her words. He supposed it might be because no one else could ride with her, and Rior was by far the most tolerant of her.

"I saw you talk to Syrento, Mirhalim. I assumed you asked him about the heretic?" Rior said "Did he know anything?"

"Nothing at all. Perhaps he was just after Solyeuse. He did say he had disagreements with the Templars before." Mirhalim fastened the rope around his bag as he spoke.

"Then why would he send his companion after us?"

"Perhaps to harry us away from the scene" Navar contributed.

"He would leave witnesses?" Rior responded.

"He is already condemned to death as a heretic, boy. Maybe Templar deaths are notches on his belt?" Ciel glared at Mirhalim. What had he done?

* * *

They were... arguing? No matter, he had seen where the papers truly were. The one who had crushed the Templar's helmet with his fist had done it for a reason. He acted specifically when the boy had gone to retrieve the papers to show to the Templar. He had no idea of their reasons, but he no longer cared.

He looked at his companion, her face masked and tilted, staring at him in a questioning manner. He pulled off each of his gauntlets carefully, idly looking at his now newly scarred hand. He had not noticed how bad it had looked since his fight with those thirteen foolish knights. Red scars ran up to his wrist from between each two fingers, and his palm as well. He turned his face back to his companion.

"Perhaps it is time." He lifted his hands up to her face and brought them down softly along her cheeks, carefully removing her translucent mask as his hand made their way down her face. He could see her full smile now, just before she leapt off her mount and ran towards the young knights. He carefully dismounted and began making his way towards them as well.

* * *

The entire group of them had ended up arguing over what exactly had happened, still riding at a decent pace, but now much closer together. Rior had just announced they would ride past the fort at Besselat, as they had all obviously expected, when Aela suddenly stared off at a distant spot and then shoved Rior off his chocobo hard as a whirling knife, a normal one this time, sliced through the air where he had been.

Ciel seemed to have her bow drawn immediately and she yelled out "I guess this solves the argument then?"

Rior responded with the steely hiss of his sword being drawn. The others followed suit quickly, and rushed towards where the knife had been thrown from. Ciel and Ganner hung back from the rest a short distance as they moved.

The woman from before seemed to appear before their very eyes. She seemed the same as before, except lacking her mask. She was not moving at all as they warily approached her. As Mirhalim began to move forward, his eyes peeled for the black armoured man, she raised her hand, palming facing out.

Aela tried to close the distance immediately with a sprint to stop her magic, but all she did was draw in a breath. As Aela was only a few short steps away the woman's voice rang out, crystalline and clear.

"Sheathe your weapons! Halt!"

Mirhalim almost laughed. Did she really think just telling them to stop would work? She did manage to get out of the way of Aela though. She ran towards him, one single edged blade drawn, taking no care to guard herself. As she delivered her stroke he raised his sword to parry, but as he saw his hand rise there was nothing gripped between his fingers. He had drawn his sword, and as he looked at his side, clearly seeing his sword sheathed there. He felt her steel slice through the leather armour he wore and bite into the flesh of his chest. He stumbled backwards and fell, his eyes rolling over to his companions. Most of them had their weapons sheathed. Rior was staring at his own sheathed sword, but the rest seemed to be shaking off their surprise and were redrawing their weapons. The woman began moving towards Rior, tossing another knife at Ganner, who had already begun rushing to Mirhalim's side. It managed to catch Ganner's left shoulder and he instantly collapsed face down on the ground. Confident that she had at least incapacitated him she moved on towards Syrento, who was now standing almost shoulder to shoulder with Aela, Rior, and Navar with Ciel just a few steps back, fiddling anxiously trying to restring her bow.

Mirhalim made a frustrating attempt to rise up which just made his vision blur. He could feel his blood seeping out of his chest. He could feel pain from his wound but it seemed to be slowly numbing itself. Fear was building in his chest and all he could do was stare at his companions. His vision began to darken as he saw Aela block a thrown knife with the flat of her blade. Ciel had restrung her bow and let off an arrow that the woman had to dive forward to evade and with that small opening Syrento and Navar managed to close the distance. As they began to exchange blows Mirhalim's ever decreasing sight finally faded to black. His last sense was a strange smell of burning.

His eyes flash open about a short while later and he felt rather... cold was his first thought. The sky around him was dark as he had last seen. He almost started but a hand quickly covered his mouth. Above him was Ganner, his shoulder still had the knife stuck in it and was bleeding angrily. His cap had been abandoned where he had fallen and his brown hair, which was caked in sand, stuck out every which way making Mirhalim attempt to laugh but instead he coughed out chunks of blood. Ganner just nodded at him and began treating his own wound. Mirhalim looked at his wound and saw only a red scar on his now naked chest. His leather armour and smallshirt he had worn underneath it were sliced up the front by Ganner, for easier access to the wound, and discarded a short distance away. He shivered and stood up, searching for his companions quickly before moving towards them.

Syrento's sword was stuck upright in the ground and was now using only his hands to fight. A few spent arrows and glassed areas of sand showed Ciel's efforts in the fight and the only other difference in the fight when Mirhalim had lost consciousness was that Navar was now using his repurposed practice spear, his last real one lay in two pieces on the ground.

He did realize a final difference as he joined the fray, when he almost lost his head when he delivered a blow that he thought was safe. The woman was wielding two identical swords now. Her light sword parried his and glanced towards his neck. He managed to slam his shield into it when it was only a hairsbreadth away from his neck, luckily.

The woman was now greatly outnumbered and even with two swords could not keep up the pace and managed to disengage without taking any serious harm. She was bleeding from many places but all of them could hardly be called much more than large scratches.

Her voice ran out again, this time a challenge "How many of you does it take to scratch me!" Her words seemed to echo and wash over Mirhalim. The others stood rapt as well "Is this how chivalry is taught now? Maybe one of you will be above this foolishness and be willing to bring honour in a fair fight! Although I expect nothing less of murderers and those so craven."

Mirhalim was infuriated. How dare she call them murderers? How dare she lecture them on chivalry? His knuckles went white as he gripped the hilt of his sword. Nearby him most of his friends were in the same state. He ran at her in fury, accompanied by Navar and Syrento.

She raised her hand in the air, beginning a spell, when an arrow from Ciel tore through the air at her, catching in the loose folds of her desert coloured cloths. It tore a rather large gap in the side of it revealing tight leather armour underneath.

"Just keep shouting, I like large, visible targets!" shouted Ciel. "Perhaps you can..." the woman had raised her hand again and Ciel's voice just stopped. She was still mouthing words, some of them Mirhalim could read from her lips. Focusing on something else caused him to lose his rage, and he even wondered why he had been rushing at her with no precaution taken for defence.

Navar did not stop, however, and he stabbed his spear at her hastily, almost as soon as his point could have touched her. She responded to the clumsy stroke with a spinning strike that cut his spear into three separate sections. But that did not stop Navar, as he hurled the very knife he had caught from her towards her. Miraculously it actually seemed to be on target, but from that range surely no person could miss. She leaned backwards to try to avoid it but not fast enough and it sliced into her midsection, puncturing her leather armour. She stumbled to the ground and Navar was on her in a flash, fighting her with only his fists.

Mirhalim moved forward to assist him but Syrento slammed his bare chest with his gauntleted hand to hold him back, knocking the wind out of him. As he was doubled over Syrento just said "Wait."

A huge bolt of lightning smashed down from the sky striking both Navar and the woman. Mirhalim, thankfully, was not looking at it, too busy catching his breath. Navar lay on the ground and the woman was struggling up, her left hand hovering over her chest.

"Now!" Syrento slammed his fist on the ground, shaking it even by Mirhalim so much that he fell over from his attempt to stand. The shifting ground threw the woman back, but a small glow Mirhalim had come to recognize as white magick lit up her hands. Her burns from the lightning were already gone, and her wounded midsection looked partially healed.

Aela was beside her almost immediately after the woman had healed herself. She fought furiously, her two handed weapon moving at speeds Mirhalim could barely manage with his much lighter sword. Mirhalim glanced back towards Ganner as he moved towards the fight. He saw him moving towards Navar but he caught a strange glimpse of the chocobo they had left behind. There was someone amongst them, he was sure of it.

"Rior I think the Black-Armour is searching through our chocobo!" He yelled to Rior who had almost joined Aela in the fight. However it looked as if he had been heading towards Navar instead.

Rior twisted his head back and his eyes widened. "Damnation the heretic is back there!" He flustered around quickly trying to think "Mirhalim, Ganner stay here and fight her with Aela! As soon as Navar is up send him our way, and Aela follow! He is definitely the more dangerous of the two and we must stop him!"

Syrento immediately broke back and ran towards the column, picking up his sword on the way. Rior was close behind him, sword and shield at the ready. Rior shouted back as he ran "When I light the sky up, run!"

Mirhalim stood up and, painfully aware of his unarmoured state, rushed to join Aela as she protected Navar's burned body with her own.

* * *

**This was a unique chapter, in the fact that I wrote the one after then reread this. And decided it was terrible. So I rewrote it**. **And Reread it. And Decided it was terrible again. So I rewrote it one last time and I'm not sure I like it 100% but I never do. Hopefully you enjoyed your reading.**


	22. Speed Reading

It was within his grasp! He was tearing through the pages, looking for any mention of his curse. His anticipation had set his hands to shuddering as he read. But it was not to be. The thing barely detailed any of Orlandeau's techniques, let alone mentioning anything about something that would cure his curse.

On the hill his companion had lost control over the fight. He had a bit of time still though before he had to fight. They had seen him and were separating to come his way. His hand twitched towards his sword, sending sharp pains up his arm, strangely. Not now! The curse had to hit him now of all times! He fell to his knees and the papers scattered on the ground in front of him as blood ran out of his mouth.

A single droplet blew from his cough and landed on a lone page on the ground. His eyes drifted to the page, where it had splattered over one of the mentions of Ramza's name. The dark scourge of the church. The dark scourge.... His mind suddenly raced in excitement. He reached over and grabbed the page stained with his blood. Of course that one did not mention the curse but it had given him a new idea where to search. As he lifted up a second page from the ground he saw a sword coming at him in his peripheral vision. He stumbled backwards as it lanced through what would have been his heart. He only held the paper in his hands and was reluctant to draw his sword. He did not need another struggle with his curse

It was the blond knight with the shining cape who had struck at him. The leader, Rior, he recognized behind the blond one. He had heard what he looked like and could easily place him at such a close distance. He was the only one he knew. Hatred burned in his eyes, directed at both him and the paper he held in his hand.

"How can you so casually disregard the church?" Rior shouted at him

He scoffed at the boy, his laugh echoing hollowly out of his visor. "How can you casually put so much faith in it." He said turning the words back at him. He took the opportunity to slam Rior in the chest with his left hand. He managed to push his shield between them however and he cracked it with his fist. The other one delivered an angular strike the he managed to alter the course of with his other hand so that it narrowly missed him. He stumbled backwards as he was off balance and Rior tried to take advantage of it with a lunging stab. He managed to slam his hands together to stop its point, bare hairsbreadths from piercing his armour.

There was not as much of a shock on Rior's face as he would have liked. It was there but it was more of a curious look than shock. As he moved to strike Rior's neck with the flat of his hand the other one slammed him with his shoulder, causing him to roll backwards into the papers. He managed to end up on his feet, however. He pulled two more of the sheets of paper into his hands from the ground and glanced at one of them. It was useless so he let it float to the ground. By then the two had closed the distance on him. As his hand reached for his sword again he felt the onset of the pain. He moved his hand back into position as he changed his mind about drawing, so he met their charge with his fists.

* * *

"Ganner you have to hurry he's fading!" Aela's voice was desperate as she held off the woman with Mirhalim. She was getting sloppy, even Mirhalim could see that.

Ganner did not respond.

The combat was taking his full concentration and he could not even to spare back a glance at Ganner let alone Rior and Syrento. As his mind wandered to that the woman managed to deliver a slice that nicked his bare chest. It was little more than a scratch, but it brought his mind back to the fight. He spared a quick glance at Aela, who was now wielding her sword with one hand, the other hung limp by her side with a nasty wound along her upper arm.

"Aela" he shouted "Move out of the way and drag Ganner up here if you have to. I will cover Navar for as long as I can."

"But..." she stammered.

"Go!" he shouted again.

She moved from fighting a few feet in front of Navar, running backwards away. As the woman moved to finish Navar off Mirhalim knocked her over by running at her shield-first. As she fell both her feet latched around Mirhalim's left ankle and yanked him to the ground with her. He fell onto his back but she rolled to her feet and sprung at him. He made an effort to kick at her with both feet as she leapt, which cost him a blow to his leg muscle that he could tell would make it difficult to walk, again. However it gave him enough time to stumble to his feet as she recovered from the whirling slash that had hit him. His leg buckled slightly as he rose dropping him back to his knee. As he fell down he heard the sound of her sword whizzing where his neck had been. Knowing the second blade was coming he rolled forward into her legs, again bringing her into the ground. He tried to grab her arms as she fell to keep her down but it was to no avail. She was up again and pulled back one blade to finish him with a single strike. As it was delivered an arrow screamed through the air and took her in the shoulder, spinning her around. She then fell down as a second arrow whizzed through the air, shoving the point of the first out her back.

Mirhalim crawled over to finish her when she shouted at him one simple word "Halt!" His mind blurred and he stopped moving for a second that allowed her to get up. When Mirhalim's head finally cleared she was on her feet, running towards where Navar lay. She only had one sword, the other lay on the ground in front of him. He stumbled up, but could not put himself to run. He hurled his sword at her in a last ditch attempt to slow her down, but it fell far from his mark.

Ciel was frantically shooting arrows at her but her haste just made her aim worse and she reached Navar without being touched. As she raised her sword a loud cracking sound echoed through the desert and her striking weapon was launched from her hand.

It was Ganner. As Mirhalim looked over he saw Aela dragging him, his gun abandoned now on the ground, it would have taken too long to reload, Mirhalim supposed. Aela managed to close the distance to Navar, despite literally dragging Ganner. She tossed him onto Navar and began scanning for the woman, who had seemingly disappeared.

"When he is up take him and join Rior and Syrento, Aela." Mirhalim said, looking around from one knee, taking pains to avoid putting weight on his damaged leg. "And by the way excellent shot Ganner."

Ganner shrugged and muttered that it was an accident but Aela snarled at him "Like hell I'm going to leave her to you and Ciel. Send Ciel instead of me."

He had no chance to respond as one of the whirling blades spun towards him. He managed to sprawl to get out of the way and as he rose he unbelted his flail. Its weight felt odd in his hand now, he had gotten so used to using a blade again. He began to spin it as he looked around for where it had come from. As he spotted her, she was going for the blade that had been shot out her hand. In the corner of his eye he saw Navar beginning to rise, weaponless and still quite badly burnt.

* * *

He had heard her shout and he heard the pain in her voice. He was surprised her amazing skill still worked when her voice wavered.

He had five sheets in his hand now, having discarded about twelve useless ones that he had picked up. He was being greatly taxed and even began to think about withdrawing when he saw it. One of the sheets on the ground held both the word Ramza and darkness on the same page. His assailants lent him no reprieve, however, as the single glance almost cost him his left arm from a strike that the blond one snapped out. He overreached in his desperation for the hit however he brought his elbow and knee together on the flat of the blade, bending it uselessly out of shape. However he only smiled. This entire fight was odd to him. Neither of them reacted as they should and now Rior had not taken a strike at him for almost an entire minute, instead watching him very carefully and casting one spell to aid the blond haired one. He had a distinct thought that his every move was being carefully catalogued. He managed to grab the sheet he was looking at, so no matter what this was going well for him.

He thought he would have a little time to read the paper as the knight figured out what he was going to, but instead he had to block five separate punches. The last of which was part of a technique he had used himself, so knew not to block it. It had been a strike at the muscles in the arm and a block could have crippled him. Instead he twisted around it and tried to deliver a spinning strike to the side of his head. It was easily blocked and he received a shin kick that probably would have broken bones had he not been wearing full armour.

He grunted and pulled back a second, and ripped his helmet off so his opponent could see his face. His black hair was plastered to his head with sweat and he was smiling broadly.

"It's been so long since I've fought like this! I just wish I could draw my blade on you!" he could hear his own voice and it fell oddly in his ears. He sounded completely insane, but shrugged that off. He probably was. "Please don't die!" He shouted. The boy looked at him with disgust, and Rior still had hatred burning in his eyes. He was still cautious, however, which disappointed him immensely. His eyes suddenly leapt down to the paper and he began reading as fast as he can, taking advantage of the time his shouting had granted. As he read he wondered if it was really as easy as it was appearing to be on paper.

The blonde one was sloppy in his approach and so he managed to break off and chase after Rior. Surprised, finally he thought, the blonde one ran after him after a moment. But it was already too late. Rior managed a surprisingly accurate thrust, despite his shock, that he simply spun his body past. The point of it was not to actually strike him, however, as it severed two of the straps that kept his breastplate on, making the other two snap as he spun. He threw the remaining five useless papers in his hand at Rior, who brushed them out of his way.

However he had moved out of Rior's sight in that single moment. He smiled and delivered a brutal kick to Rior's back that knocked him to the ground.

"Enjoyed that heretic!" He shouted "I'm sure you managed to read a word as you brushed them aside. That means you're a heretic now!" It was completely inaccurate, he knew, but he was only goading Rior. He began to laugh at the winded boy lying on the ground.

Then he saw her. She had taken numerous wounds, and even had an arrow puncturing to the feathers through her shoulder. This had to be resolved quickly or.... He did not even want to think about that. His fingers grasped the hilt of his blade, welcoming the pain he knew would come. He levelled his sword at the two knights, making them much more cautious and hold back, giving him time to read the paper. There was no way he could use his curse, it would kill him. But maybe, just maybe the papers could save all of this.

* * *

"Ciel, Navar go support Rior and Syrento!" Aela shouted, ridding Mirhalim of the choice. Then she said simply "Don't let me down here, Mirhalim."

"He isn't ready to move yet. But when he is I'll send him!" Ganner shouted in reply.

Aela then sprinted after the woman, who now held one of the swords she had began the fight with. Mirhalim could only hobble after her.

Aela quickly reached her and with one feint dodge and then slash split the woman's sword in half. She raised her blade again to strike the woman down, and Mirhalim stopped hobbling. The woman had even given up doing nothing in response to the raised blade. She only spoke some final words.

The blade did not fall though. Aela turned around, her short, ragged hair blowing in a gust of wind that blew the opposite way the wind had normally blown the entire day.

The woman rose up behind her, smiling, and began to heal her injury. It was that woman's accursed speech that numbed the mind again. But this was much worse, he had not drawn a blade on his companions, and Aela was rushing towards him.

She fought with massive ferocity as soon as she closed the distance, and he could see the woman attempting to prepare a spell, but was constantly interrupted by Ciel's arrows. He could not bring himself to strike at Aela, however, and only blocked her strikes, until she crushed his shield beneath her mighty blows. He began to scramble backwards when Navar was suddenly standing by his side.

"Pull back to Ganner, Mirhalim, I can deal with her." Navar was still injured and held no weapon. He dodged one of Aela's strikes just after he finished. Then he shoved Mirhalim backwards "Go."

Mirhalim stepped back and saw perhaps one of the oddest sights he had seen in the entire time since he had left Bervennia.

Navar caught Aela's hand in his left as it swung down on him and he pushed up against her, forcing her sword into the air. He then leaned his head forward slightly, angling it, brushing his lips against Aela's, kissing her for four long seconds. Her eyes seemed to clear and widen in shock as she saw what was happening. She held onto him for a short while longer and then slammed her knee into his midsection. He instantly collapsed to the ground.

Mirhalim saw spots in front of his eyes and realized he had been holding his breath. He was about to say something, but Aela's glare made him keep his mouth shut. They had a battle to finish.

The woman was finally looking panicked.

* * *

A false intonation gave him another few seconds to read as his opponents leapt back, and this time he thought he got it. But on his attempt to cure the curse it failed again. He snarled at them. He was going insane.

Rior had healed two successful strikes he had landed against the blonde one, who he had called Syrento. It was an oddly familiar name to him. Not to mention on each time he had been forced to cut through a magical barrier, weakening his blow. The fight was beginning to infuriate him and then when he stepped forward the ground ripped open in front of Syrento in a wave that shoved him off balance. The boy was definitely infuriating. Yet he found himself enjoying it, letting out the occasional laugh. Syrento mimicked his own spinning strike, and took a solid headbutt for his efforts.

He followed the stumbling knight with a quick stab, and Syrento's eyes seemed to light up and he slammed his hands together, stopping his powerful thrust. He attempted to follow it up with a weapon breaking strike, but he managed to pull backwards.

"How have you come to learn such a great technique! It makes this so much more exciting!" He roared, laughing after. He managed to glance at the papers and spot one of his errors in his previous attempts.

"Family secret. I would ask you the same thing but you probably ripped it from some poor soul in their dying moments." Syrento said. A blue light surrounded Syrento and his injuries disappeared before the dark armoured man's own eyes. This one was not Rior, he was instead taking great time to cast something else.

"The dominant wolf perhaps?" The dark armoured man said, smiling "Perhaps you should watch with whom you wrestle."

Syrento looked shocked, and so did Rior behind him. And that was all the opportunity he needed. As he moved Rior snapped back but Syrento was still stunned.

"Bright light, shine down on impurity! Holy!" A beam of blazing light roared down at him, lighting up the desert. It burnt him down to his very bones, much more than any fire magick he had ever tasted before. He let out an agonizing scream and stumbled to the ground.

Syrento was now staring at the collapsed dark man's hand, where a signet ring of two wolves fighting for dominance under the moon sat. Sensing opportunity again he rose up and ran at Syrento and chanted "Master of all blades, cut even energy! Duskblade!"

Syrento moved to stop the incoming blade with his hands but the blade simply... flowed around his hands and materializing in his chest and exiting out his back. Syrento gasped. A horrible red light shone down from the clouds on Syrento, seeming to drain what light remained in the night desert. All Syrento could do was stare at the hilt embedded in his chest.

Then, as suddenly as the light had appeared, it vanished and the dark man pulled his sword from Syrento's chest. Syrento fell slowly on his face, no blood coming from either the entry or exit of his wound. He hit the ground with a soft thump, his ostentatious cape slowly following him to the ground.

The dark armoured man stood and laughed erratically, flipping Syrento's body over with his foot and staring at his face. Who had thought he would meet the boy here in all places? Rior had fallen backwards on the ground and was attempting to stand on shuddering legs.

The dark armoured man felt the darkness flow easily through his blade, no longer causing pain. He felt much better.

* * *

**Not a cliffhanger at all.**


	23. A Knight's Word

Subduing the woman was easy work now as she had little in the way of defence. She tried to shout something out but she was stopped mid-yell by Aela clubbing her savagely on the head with the hilt of her greatsword. Mirhalim was slightly behind, his injured leg slowing him down somewhat.

Aela was about to kill her when Mirhalim managed to get in a single word "Wait!"

Aela stopped in surprise but still held her blade to the woman's neck. She had a sneer on her face. "Why should I? She would have killed us!" Aela shouted at him.

"Rior wouldn't want us to kill prisoners." Mirhalim said.

She sighed in response to that and lifted the limp woman up to her feet. As she did she mused "I wonder if we have any rope?"

Mirhalim looked back towards where the chocobo were. Ciel was just drawing an arrow and Rior was standing rather awkwardly. He couldn't see Syrento anywhere, however. Something like parchment was strewn across the ground. It was the papers! Mirhalim quickly motioned to Aela who dragged the woman as she came over. She looked and her eyes widened.

"Where is Syrento?" she asked. Mirhalim could only shrug in response.

After a short pause Mirhalim was about to tell Aela to get down there, he would be a little slower because of his leg. Instead, just as he opened his mouth, Aela tossed the woman to the side and began sprinting down towards the fight, her sword held in one hand so she could run as fast as possible.

Mirhalim looked again at what had made her start, and saw Syrento lying on the ground. He wasn't bleeding at least, Mirhalim thought.

He picked up the woman himself, rather awkwardly as he could not find a non-embarrassing way to hold her up as he staggered, as well as keep himself safe if she awoke.

Ciel had loosed an arrow at the dark armoured man's back, but he simply reached out and snatched the arrow out of midair, breaking it with his steel-shod fist. She was taken aback by that, Mirhalim could tell, and in any other situation he would have laughed. But not now. He was slowly making his way to the fight that Aela had joined in on, delivering a heavy overhand blow that the man simply sidestepped and then kicked Rior away after he swung an ineffectual strike. Rior stumbled to the ground.

It was clear the man was toying with Rior as even Mirhalim saw opportunities the man did not take.

A footstep crunched the sand behind Mirhalim, but he did not even turn, only speaking "Ganner, I think Syrento needs your help."

"You think Ganner would follow so close behind?" Navar's voice came from behind him instead of Ganner's deep voice that Mirhalim had expected.

Mirhalim looked back now, Navar had Ganner's knife in his right hand but that was it. He was wearing the wool clothes he had on underneath his armour, even they were badly charred, and his lance and shield lay broken up the dune. However Navar himself looked in prime health again.

Mirhalim looked carefully at the heretic. He was close enough.

* * *

He was enjoying it. He had mastered the skill and now was taking his time enjoying the fight with the boy. But Rior's energy had been sapped by his friend's death. It was becoming boring until the frantic woman had joined in the fight. That had shocked him back to reality as she had been fighting his companion. He tried to spare a glance but had to stop another arrow from the annoying archer. Her arrows were doing nothing so why did she keep shooting? His anger made him parry Rior's attack with too much force, leaving him open if the boy had been in anything resembling competent form.

The short haired girl did take advantage of the opening, but she was in bad position too and he sidestepped her overhand blow. Her swings contained too much fury, leaving her open for a counter, but Rior interrupted that with a blow that probably would not have penetrated his armour, if he had let it hit.

He smashed the blade out of Rior's hand, and was about to deliver the finishing strike when another boy's voice rang out.

"Stop!" the shout rang out, "Or she dies!" The boy was holding a battered blade to the neck of his companion. His knuckles went white on his sword hilt underneath his gauntlets. The woman swung another blow, hastily while his attention was gone. Such work would have gotten her killed had he been fighting as he disarmed her with his free hand by smashing her sword arm with it. He heard a snapping sound as she dropped the blade, gasping from the sudden pain. He did not attack. He did not speak. He merely waited.

* * *

Mirhalim could see Ciel readying an arrow again, and told Navar to go discourage her, even if he wanted to do it himself. But he would not let everyone die!

"Leave and we will leave her behind! Otherwise I will kill her here" He really did not want to do that, she was still unconscious and he could barely bring himself to hold the sword against her neck.

"Why should I trust you? You may just kill her when I leave. Give her to me and I shall let you go, I have what I need." His voice was chilling to Mirhalim. It sounded as if he was speaking perhaps through metal pipes, even without his helmet on.

Rior was clearly shocked at Mirhalim's actions and was moving towards his sword. The armoured man gave him a savage kick to the midsection that sent him tumbling away.

"I do not mean to continue, but I can't trust a man going for his blade." His voice rang out again, still hollow.

Mirhalim did not know what to do at this point. His plan hadn't extended this far. Thankfully Navar continued for him.

"Just back away to the furthest possible distance you can see us. We will mount, and leaver her on the ground. As soon as we leave, no sooner, you may come and retrieve her. Hurry and decide or I'll have to hit her in the head again!" Navar jested at the end of his small speech. Mirhalim thought that would enrage the man, but if so he took it in stride.

"That... sounds somewhat fair. If she is not returned to me, however, I will hunt you to the ends of Ivalice, and your deaths shall be... enjoyable." He said with a laugh that made Mirhalim's hairs rise. "Perhaps I shall trust the honour of the knights." He was still laughing. Mirhalim wasn't sure what at.

Aela and Rior slowly got up; both watched him carefully as they backed away. Only Aela was able to retrieve her weapon, although with her uninjured hand, the man's foot was on Rior's. He definitely did not want him to approach.

The woman was beginning to stir in Mirhalim's arms and he raised the hilt of his weapon but stopped it when he heard the man's voice.

"Do it and you all die." He had a bright smile on his face that was rather unnerving.

Mirhalim pressed the blade up against her throat again, and as she awoke she tried to stomp on his foot. His thick boots made him barely feel it but when she tried to elbow his unclothed solarplex, Navar blocked the blow by restraining her arm.

"Do we have any rope?" Navar asked.

After a short while she was restrained by Syrento's reigns as well as two of Ciel's spare thick bowstrings. The restraints wouldn't hold for long but they didn't need it to hold for a long time anyways. She didn't speak as she was restrained but she had tried to bite him.

Ganner and Navar had Syrento on their shoulders, basically dragging him. Ganner looked incredibly downcast. There was no blood but Mirhalim could clearly see a sword shaped hole in Syrento's chest. He couldn't be dead. He couldn't. Ganner slumped Syrento over his chocobo and tied him too it with Ganner's own reigns. He seemed if he was asleep.

Rior was busy gathering up the papers with an angry look in his face, he yelled for Aela to go away when she asked for him to heal her wrist. Mirhalim could see the fury building in him and so attempted to go over and talk to him to calm him down.

When he walked over to Rior he was attempting to cover his eyes while he gathered the papers. Mirhalim had no such worries and just began to pile them together.

"Why are we letting him walk away! We've had time to recuperate! We should kill her and finish him!" Rior muttered.

This shocked Mirhalim. Where was the Rior who had stayed Ciel's hand as she shot after bandits? He decided to mention nothing about that.

Mirhalim thought carefully before he spoke "Rior, Aela's hand is broken, Navar has no weapons and no shield, and he would have no armour if he had actually worn his plate. Ganner isn't doing anything to help, Ciel is still unable to talk, I need to learn that spell by the way, Syrento is... incapacitated and you... well you weren't fighting full strength there either."

Mirhalim could see his friend's fury building as he continued to blindly stack the papers "He is a heretic, he has killed Syrento! We can't let him walk away!"

"No we can't Rior. But not now. Now we have to walk away. Get somewhere we can rest, complete the job even. Then we can avenge Syrento, if it's actually possible for Cape to die. See if you can heal him, I'll finish up with these papers."

Rior's anger left his face quite visibly, relieving Mirhalim. At least he had never found out where the papers had been pulled from. They were rather scattered and he didn't even try to reorganize them. He just shoved them together and back in the bag.

Mirhalim could see the man in the dark armour quite a distance away. Even though he could not make out his face he swore he was smiling.

As he made his way back to the chocobo a small ray of light centered on Syrento and held there for a minute. Mirhalim could not even hear anyone breathing as they waited. But nothing happened. Rior's fists tightened around his reins and bent his head over.

"Let's go." Rior paused as if he was going to say something else but his eyes glistened and he turned away. He grabbed Syrento's chocobo's reigns and led the group off.

The woman sat on the sand cross legged bound up and did not even look their way as they left.

As Mirhalim looked around the column the only one who seemed to not be affected was Ciel and that seemed to be because she was still trying to speak. Mirhalim himself couldn't believe it. Cape was invincible, undefeatable. His own hands were trembling on his reigns. He snuck a glance back and he could no longer see the man in the dark armour. He heeled his chocobo forward towards Rior, who led the column.

"How." Was all he could say. He could work nothing else out of his mouth. His hands still trembled. He was never like this.

Rior closed his eyes. "He spoke of the two wolves under the moon."

Mirhalim shook his head "What?"

"One of the signets on the seal for the parchments. It seemed to affect Syrento as well. I... I have no idea why. I just..." Rior slammed his arm down on his thigh. "We have to find him. We cannot, as knights, let such a dangerous heretic roam free. But what can we do."

Mirhalim looked back. The woman was no longer there. He felt a chill run down his spine.

After approximately an hour of riding it was approaching dawn and Rior stopped the column. He pulled Syrento off of his chocobo with the help of Navar. Rior laid him on the ground and began heaping sand over him. The others soon followed suit. It was a silent act and seemingly pointless to Mirhalim. The sand would simply blow away in the winds. But he did it anyways.

After he was fully covered Rior stood up and led the group in a prayer. Mirhalim was not one for religion but still earnestly prayed for Syrento's soul. It couldn't end like that for him. It would be so pointless, such a waste of life.

Afterwards Rior simply stood up and laid Syrento's broken sword on top of the makeshift grave. A single wet spot appeared on the sand in front of him. Mirhalim tried to look at his face but Rior had already turned around.

"Ciel," he said, "do you have your voice back?"

She nodded at him which Mirhalim thought was kind of funny.

"Hit the blade with a bolt of lightning. Desert glass is the best we can offer him, so far away from a place of burial."

Ciel looked him in the face and nodded. She began chanting but Mirhalim only heard the roar from the lightning as it blinded him. When he looked back the small mound and a large area of ground were a dirty brown colour and almost completely opaque. He could only see the broken sword, fused messily with the glass.

They all suited back up and Ganner put on his rather destroyed hat. Rior put his hand on the glass one more time and clenched a fist. The crystal glass echoed with the tapping of his gauntlet and a small shard came off. He picked it up in odd fascination, putting it in a scrip he kept with him and then placed his hand back over the glass coffin.

"You will be avenged."

* * *

He carefully removed her bindings, his eyes almost watering at their treatment of her. The ropes cut into her wrists. He was careful to restrain himself as he untied the ropes. He looked down at his hands as he did. Not even a trace of the horrible scarring that had afflicted him only hours before remained.

He whispered to her "It's done, you've done well." He was smiling earnestly. She smiled back at him and his heart jumped.

"What would you like to do?" he said, once he fully untied his companion. "We have gotten what I needed. Should we follow them or leave them alone." His hand was on the hilt of his sword. Wherever she wanted, now, he would go.

For the first time in quite a while she seemed angry. Very angry. She stood up quickly and got on her chocobo almost as soon as she bound her face from her nose down again.

"Then follow them we shall. I suppose I could make use of the full set of papers anyways." He hurdled himself onto his chocobo. He was feeling incredible now. The technique had done everything he dreamed it would. He felt invincible.

He rode alongside her and let his hand go through her beautiful hair. Unexpectedly she leaned over in her saddle and kissed him through her veil. He was taken aback by that, but enjoyed it. She had never done anything like that before.

"Let us head out then. I will be looking forward to this!"

* * *

**I was not dead (I think). Just very very (Insert excuse here). Thanks for reading this chapter and enjoy.**

**Hmm not as long as the last one is it. Well I rewrote some of the beginning chapters (a while ago). I could just fill it up with a lot of author's notes. Ah well once again hope you enjoyed it and drop a review if you so feel inclined.**


	24. Twisted Past

Mirhalim had not seen Besselat before but was glad to pass by it. They had waited till the sun set just in case the templar, Solyeuse, had left some instruction to the guards who would watch from the walls to pass the fort. He felt like a bandit, or a thief, when he rode in the night, but he knew it was necessary. The column was rather morose and words were barely spoken. It was to be expected.

His armour weighed heavily on him and every time the steel brushed against the padded cloth underneath he could feel its sharp cold from the desert night. His leather cuirass was left behind where Ganner had sliced it from him. It was rather annoying but he was beginning to get used to it. He was far more concerned now with the shadowy figures patrolling the ground outside the fort. How far would they range from the city? Navar, his companion in the quick scouting of the city while Rior was busy healing Aela's rather severely broken arm, noticed as well and looked at him from inside his own visor. They would have to skirt the city even further to avoid detection. Better safe than sorry, as his history lecturer often told him. What significance it had to history was a grey spot for Mirhalim but he supposed the advice was good enough for such a situation such as this.

Navar was armoured but not armed, however he still wore his now empty spear quiver. He promised his skill in geomancy would be enough if they encountered any... unexpected troubles. Mirhalim had not been looking forward to scouting with Ciel though, so he gladly accepted Navar's companionship.

They rode back to the column just as silently as they had gone out. The entire time neither of them spoke a single word. Navar moved off to his own tent afterwards, leaving Mirhalim to explain the situation to Rior. Mirhalim walked over to Rior's tent, pulled off his helmet and tucked it under his arm, and then opened the flap without thought. They had constructed the camp up while waiting for the sun to set. There was obviously no fire in between the circle of tents as there normally would be.

The scene as Mirhalim entered was not quite what he had expected, but then again he hadn't truly expected anything other than Rior being on the inside of the leather canvas. Rior sat cross-legged in thought, next to a sleeping Aela. He was staring at a small crystal of brown glass.

"She fell asleep right after I healed her. I thought it rude of me to wake her." He said, not moving his eyes from the shard. White magic took not only the user's strength, but also the strength of the one being healed. Many believed this the only reason white magic could not raise the dead back to life. Oh there was the darkest of magicks that brought creatures back to a state of animation, but they were nothing but dolls, on some unknown string. Nothing resembling true resurrection.

"They have patrols ranging quite a long distance from the city. We are going to have to make a rather large detour. We will have to rejoin the road after, unless we wish to ride across the road less mountains around Zierchele Falls." Mirhalim felt like he was giving an official military report, rather than speaking to a friend. His mind told him he had never given an official military report before but that was still how he felt.

Rior sighed. "I suppose it has to be. Tell the others." And that was it. He didn't even move his eyes, just kept staring at the shard. Mirhalim resisted the urge to salute him with the customary fist against the chest and left the tent.

The stars greeted him as he walked out of the tent and stared straight up at the sky. What was he doing here? This was supposed to be just a trip of busywork, a job that took them away from training. He banished the thoughts from his mind and walked towards where Ciel and Navar were. Navar was easy enough to inform but on his unannounced entrance into Ciel's tent he suddenly received a heavy blow to the head from an unknown object and fell backwards out the tent flap. His head was spinning and as he stood up he received a solid kick in the midsection.

Ciel was fully geared. And she was ready to hit him again. The unknown object which had hit him in the head appeared to be an unstrung longbow. It was taller than her and seemed rather like a spear.

Mirhalim stumbled back before talking "How... how did you get your armour on so quickly if I walked in on you changing?" That earned him another heavy strike with the bow she carried that Mirhalim managed to roll out of the way of. Barely. He heard it his by his ear as it made a thunking sound in the sand.

"You boar! If you had walked in on me changing the bow would be strung and you would be dead. This was for not announcing yourself." She thrust the stave in his direction, very near his exposed throat "Announce yourself next time, boy! Now what was so important?"

"We are getting ready to leave, Ciel" He said angrily. He had done wrong, he supposed, but did he really deserve being attacked? "Perhaps you would like to join us," he finished, struggling to his feet, the weight of his armour making it much more difficult than it needed to be. Ciel gave him a hand up, which he thought was rather out of character for her, and she began to strike her tent immediately.

He had not even bothered to set his own up; neither had Navar. So he was the first one of them mounted, followed closely by the unarmed Navar. He had a distinct feeling that he was forgetting something, however. He stared intently at the campsite. Ganner! He had forgotten to tell Ganner! He immediately leapt off his chocobo, he stumbled as he fell but managed to stay upright, and sort of jogged as fast as he could towards Ganner's tent. Before entering the tent he called out Ganner's name, to no response, so he simply entered.

Ganner was lying on the floor, his patched blue hat covering his face. Light snoring sounds emitted from his direction. Mirhalim considered many ways to wake him, most of them inappropriate for the situation, and finally simply decided to shake him gently. Ganner responded by bolting awake and attempting to punch him in the stomach. A solid steel breastplate stood in his way and the sound his fist made when striking was rather like a bell, followed by a small cracking sound.

Ganner's scream of pain was rather shrill for his deep voice. He was cradling his hand as Mirhalim informed him that he should get ready because they were leaving. Immediately. He sprinted out of his tent and threw the medicinal vials he had laying around into his pack. Mirhalim was surprised to hear none of them break.

After a short while all of them were mounted. The chocobo claws made little sound on the desert sand as they rode a wide path around Besselat. Mirhalim was looking forward to the river. They hadn't bathed since Bervenia. All they had to wash was lightly soaked clothes. He had always enjoyed swimming as a child, and the river through the mountain path was perhaps the only thing he could look forward to right now.

They were soon back on the road past Besselat, the only thing close to an incident was a small pack of fiery, floating monsters that they managed to avoid. They gave off quite a bit of light, but it was probably their presence that kept patrols from the area they road. Ciel was quite disappointed they did not stop to fight them, but even she realized that such a commotion would surely attract the patrols.

"Finally, past this endless desert. It felt like we were in there for a year." Navar said once they began to see greenery other than cacti once again. He leapt off his chocobo and fell face first on the grass. He made quite a clatter as he fell. It took a second for Mirhalim to realize he had done it on purpose. Everyone was staring at Navar. He was waving his hands around on the grass and taking deep breaths through his nose. His red hair was wild and he looked suitably insane.

Even Rior could not help but laugh and soon the young knights were all laughing rather uproariously at Navar. The rest of them dismounted as well and knelt down in the dewy grass. The sun was just beginning to rise and it outlined the mountains with a beautiful shade of red. Mirhalim felt revitalized, and even Rior smiled as they spent perhaps half an hour waiting as the sun rose. They were all tired, but resolved to push on at least a little further.

It was with great reluctance that they finally remounted. The spirit was much better amongst the knights now. Rior was speaking with Ciel and Ganner in the front, and Mirhalim, Navar, and Aela were joking around lightly. It was if they had forgotten the nights before.

When they set up camp about two hours from sunset, since they were exhausted and could continue no further, they all sat once again in a circle around a cheery fire, eating the passable rations that Ganner had prepared.

"We are running rather low on supplies." Ganner said, poking his head through one of the bags on the pack chocobo.

"I know. We are just going to have to wait." Rior responded, taking a large bite of some salted meat.

"Uh... by running low I mean we have nothing left. That's all the food right there." He said with a worried grin.

"What!" Rior yelled, "Why didn't you tell us sooner!"

"I didn't want to ruin the mood."

Rior clenched his bare fist. "We still have some light, let's try to trap something."

"Does anyone even know how to prepare an animal?" Aela asked. She was looking at Ganner.

No voice was raised in response. Aela buried her face in one of her hands and sighed. All of the knights looked down at the ground.

"What about wild fruits and vegetables?" Navar asked.

"It shouldn't matter." Rior responded, "We should arrive at the town around Zaland either next night or the morning after, even with a slow pace. We can wait that long to eat." He smiled, "After all we are knights, we are supposed to be unspeakably brave, surely we can face one day of no food."

Mirhalim laughed. He supposed it would be the kind of thing a knight would be expected to do.

"Perhaps we should continue with the tradition we abandoned in the desert. A practice match would be entertaining to watch." Ciel said, rubbing her hands clean on a small cloth.

"Most of our practice weapons are lost; we have a knife, and a sword. That's it. The rest of it was lost back in Bervennia" Navar responded.

Ciel looked rather disappointed. She made some attempt to suggest something but closed her mouth after opening it.

"Maybe a tale then?" Rior suggested, "We are not far from where aged King Delita once held heretics and knights at bay, protecting the foully murdered Ovelia, Ajora rest her soul."

"Haven't heard that one in a while," muttered Navar, "Better than nothing, I suppose."

So Rior began the tale.

"Some sixty years ago Delita, was fleeing the Order of the Northern Sky, with then Princess Ovelia in tow, saving her from nobles who would use her, or worse kill her. However as he rode with utmost haste across the beautiful cliffs of Zeirchele he was stopped by foul mercenaries, containing the heretic Ramza, who had not yet truly crossed the church, and an evil practitioner of black arts, known as Gaffgarion.

The Order of the Northern Sky had hired these sellswords, who would betray their country for coin, to lay in wait for Delita. Upon being ambushed by both sides he took a position upon a small rope bridge, and avowed to sell his lifeblood dearly.

His blade flashed like lightning, and he called down the powers of heaven to smite his enemies. He laid waste to the opponents by the score, his masterful swordsmanship unbeaten by any one man. But even then it was not enough, and the enemy was reinforced while he attempted to protect Ovelia from harm.

Even she was not defenceless, however, and she gave Delita a great blessing from Ajora that allowed him to ignore his wounds and fight almost endlessly. He clashed blades with Gaffgarion and gravely wounded him, forcing him to cravenly flee. It was then the heretic Ramza took up his blade against Delita.

Again and again there blades clashed, and Delita found his blade evenly matched, for swordsmanship has no morals of its own and will lend itself evenly to light or dark. Their own battle raged for some unknown time, and Delita found himself tiring, for he had fought many opponents before Ramza. The heretic took advantage of this and pushed Delita back to where Ovelia was, back to the rope bridge. But that was his mistake. Ovelia cured her champion of his weariness, and at full strength Ramza was no match for a holy swordsman. Delita struck Ramza with a blow that slashed through his very armour across his chest and sent him falling into the river below.

Sadly, Delita never searched for the man's corpse, and so the future heretic lived. He yet had reason to not search though as the final group of mercenaries and knights surrounded him and Ovelia. They were now both exhausted and Delita could scarce raise his great sword. It was then true knights arrived and saved him from death. Lead by Agrais Oaks, the earlier protector of Ovelia, the knights of the church put both the mercenaries, and the Order of the Northern Sky to route. Then they marvelled at the strength of Delita, for he had slain fully half of both the knights and the mercenaries.

Delita, knowing the presence of the true protector of Ovelia, then turned her over to the Holy Knight. He then went after, alone, those who had sent the Order of the Northern Sky after him." Rior finished. It seemed to Mirhalim that he had scarce drawn a breath during the tale.

All of the knights were rapt with attention to what was often considered the greatest battle fought by a single man. It was taught often, and they all knew it, but they still marvelled at the story. Mirhalim, though, now wondered how much of it was true. Were the tales of the world true, or were the documents he had read? If he had read to that point in them, how different would the story of that battle be?

Navar seemed lost in thought to Mirhalim as well. Maybe he was thinking the same thing? Nevertheless it was still a good story, and set the blood to racing.

"Thank you, Rior." said Ciel, earnestly, flipping back her long black hair. Her voice seemed completely different, with none of its normal harshness.

The other knights' eyes widened in shock, and Navar even stood up and leapt back. Ciel actually being nice? Let alone thanking someone?

"What's wrong, boy?" She grumbled at Navar, back to her normal mood.

"N-nothing Ciel, you just rather surprised me. I thought it impossible for you to show any pleasantness at all." Mirhalim was rather shocked that Navar would respond in such a way to a woman so easily provoked to violence.

Mirhalim's fears were correct however when Ciel's face went red and she looked at the fire for a second, and then savagely attacked Navar. Rior immediately tried to hold her back, but it required Aela's help as well to hold her back.

"Perhaps I made a mistake in wording there." Navar said with a smirk.

"Perhaps I made a mistake in letting you live!" roared Ceil as she rebelled against her restrainers. Ganner got up to help hold her back but all she kicked him in a rather delicate spot, sending him crumpling to his knees. "You... you know don't you!" She struggled even harder.

"It's rather obvious." Navar responded, cooly brushing his fingertips against the front of his tunic, and then inspecting them carefully.

"If you keep encouraging her, I'm going to let her go." Aela said.

"Let me go, Aela. I just want to kill him!" Ciel shouted.

"That would be why I can't, Ciel. Now calm down." Aela's arms tightened against Ciel's.

Ciel took a deep breath, and then suddenly stopped struggling and she looked down at the ground. The moment they released her, however she once again jumped at Navar. Mirhalim knew what she was doing, however, and strategically placed himself between her and Navar. He managed to stop her, and wrestle her to the ground.

"Fine, if none of you will let me kill him, I'll stop." Ciel said, finally "Now get off me Mirhalim." Her voice was rather... dangerous, and Mirhalim immediately let her stand.

She stood up and immediately went to her tent, her face red and fuming in anger.

"I suppose we should take that as the signal to retire. Navar has first watch tonight." Rior brushed dirt off him as he spoke. Navar grumbled in response to that, but they all went off to their tents. The sun was setting rather beautifully now, and Mirhalim was glad to lie down and rest.

* * *

He was anxious to test his renewed strength against one of the patrols from Besselat. He had cautioned his companion to stay back and let him fight them off. Anger had still burned in him from her treatment by her captors, so while he had fought so he had been particularly... brutal with his opponents.

Now a new anger burned in him. The curse was not healed. When he had summoned the darkness from his soul he felt a tearing gash rip open on his arm. He had felt his warm blood run down it. That had made him worse. The accursed technique only staved off the curse, rather than removing it entirely. The pain the curse brought him would continue for the rest of his life. He would have to continue killing to fix it. His hands clenched in anger as he rode into a small grassy plain, just outside the desert. He hated being chained, being forced to do something. It reminded him too much of his past.

It was perhaps four hours from sunset, when his companion found a small group of chocobo claw markings off of the road. They had waited here from anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour.

That brought about his laughter. They had no idea they were still being chased. They had no idea how much he could not wait to kill them.

* * *

**Not really much to say other than I think this is the longest time between posting chapters that I have done. I apologize. I blame it on the nice weather. I'm sure the weather completely accepts the blame.**


	25. Bad Luck?

Mirhalim had dreamt of death. His death. He knew he would have nightmares when he finally slept after the fight. The feel of the chilled-steel blade of the heretic knight sliding through his ribs woke him up four or five times that night. Needless to say, he was rather tired when the sun rose, illuminating the dust in the air of his tent through a few of the rips. He definitely had not been taking good care of his possessions on this journey, he reflected.

He yawned, stretching his arms and looked down at the rather long scar that crossed his chest. He poked it in disbelief once and then stood up. How had he become so nonchalant about death recently anyway? Cold sweat had drenched his body earlier that night, however, so he wasn't as fearless as he thought. He shrugged, got ready and left the tent to strike it.

They were on their way immediately. With Ganner riding beside him his mind departed almost immediately, and did not return until mid afternoon, perhaps some five hours before sunset. He had talked about something to Ganner, but he couldn't remember a single word of their conversation. The only thing Mirhalim could remember was that Ganner made some comment about his unarmoured state, to which Mirhalim could not think of how he responded.

They had made good time in their journey for, at perhaps four hours from sunset, they were approaching the gates at the massive, castled city of Zaland. The city had multiple walls, presumably re added as the city had grown in the past. It did sit at a rather precarious position, bordering Limberry and Lesalia. The most outside wall was not as high as the others, but it still was under construction in varying places. At some points it was perhaps only twice the height of a man, but at others it was almost five times that size. The inner walls were far more imposing, and with their constant rising heights, made the city look almost like a mountain itself. Finally the city was built on a mountain to top it all off. A man would have to be insane to attempt to take the city, as the defenders could just retreat at each breaching of the wall and they would have to go through the entire process all over again. It was impregnable. Not that a few men throughout history had not tried, after all Mirhalim's history class was basically an endless tale of sieges. The only thing any man had gained by assaulting the city was age.

While years ago the knights may have been killed on site, or at least 'encouraged' to leave, now the gates were, ostensibly, open to them, despite their tattered surcoats bearing the seal of the Fovoham knights. Delita had at least removed the surface tensions between the provinces of Ivalice. However when the aged king finally died... Many predicted civil war when the eighty year old heirless man finally succumbed to his age. Although he had surprised many three years ago, when one impatient noble, high in the line of succession, tried to have him assassinated he killed all three reputable assassins with his old holy blade alone. Some even believed he would never die, that he was Ajora come back to lead them forever. Delita himself discouraged that rather... harshly, however.

They were let in after a minor hassle with the gate guards, and once inside the first set of walls discussed what they were going to do.

"So we need armour, weapons, food, and varying travel supplies. Is there anything we don't need?" asked Rior after a rather heated conversation of what the priority should be put on.

"Well I don't think we need new chocobo, but that's about it. Everything else needs replacements." replied Ganner, holding his hat, now in two pieces. At one point in the discussion Ganner had pointed to his hat and said it needed replacing. It was patched with rather random colours of fabric, so he did have a minor point, but he was ignored and kept bringing it back up until Aela, in annoyance, whipped out her sword and cut it in half. He had stopped complaining immediately.

"I think we should have someone watching the chocobo at all times, this time around as well." Navar's head was level and his now standard random directional red hair was in a complete mess this entire day. No one had mentioned it to him at all though, so Mirhalim wondered if he even knew. It suited his strange personality anyways. He was a little... strange after all, and somewhat erratic. There was honestly no way to predict what the man was going to do at any moment, well unless it had to do with throwing objects, that was fairly predictable for him. Mirhalim supposed it might be useful.

"I'm not sure about splitting up, even in a town like this." Aela waved her hand at the nearby wall, "Technically we do have a warrant for our arrest and the word might have beaten us here, despite the fact that it is technically a Lesalian matter."

"Seshuan must have received my letter by now. Even if he didn't I'm sure he would recognize the warrant and find some way to get us out of it. I doubt he believes his youngest brother is a murderer." Rior's ceremonial sheath was belted at his waist, but the actual sword was in the scabbard of a similar sword that had been broken. Since they were foreign knights they were supposed to be unarmed, but each of them probably carried some hidden weapons, and the guards did not care to inspect them too closely. They had tried to tidy up a little bit when they had come to the gates, wanting to at least look the part of respectable knights, but the fact that even their spare capes and surcoats were lost and their normal ones tattered still made them look rather disreputable. They had even bathed, despite the chilling waters, in the morning before they left the trickling banks of the river that rolled through Zierchele.

"Perhaps, but Aela is right. Splitting up is dangerous, especially if we need to leave in a hurry, boy." Ciel's bow was now just an unstrung pole that was, as she had put it to the gate guards, 'a walking staff'. She never actually let the point of it touch the ground however, as even when she dismounted its point actually rested on the tip of her foot rather than the ground.

"Then do you intend to just take the all the chocobo to every shop we stop at? That seems rather ridiculous. At most there would be one to hold the stuff we purchase, but flooding narrow streets with ten chocobo? How could you justify that?" It was Ganner this time, still staring mournfully at his thief's cap. Maybe he would buy a less ridiculous one this time. Then again he did seem short without its height on his head. Perhaps that was why he wore it.

"Why not just leave the choboco at the stable and carry the important things with us. It seems like a rather obvious solution to me." Mirhalim contributed. Perhaps they were just arguing for the sake of it?

Everyone stared at him, until Aela grudgingly admitted that it was a good, although obvious idea. They would take everything of importance and carry it themselves. They needed the new equipment more urgently than the riding chocobo anyways. So they stabled their chocobo at an inn of their choice, Mirhalim forgetting the name, but not its rather garish purple sign. The price was a little steeper than normal but Rior did not object and simply paid the keeper to stable and feed the chocobo, as well as their two rooms.

They then left and stopped first at various provisional stores, in which Ganner bought copiously large amounts of salted meat and various other difficult to spoil foods. When Mirhalim remarked on how much they purchased Ganner responded with a "Do you even know how much everyone eats?" and a small smirk. Mirhalim barely remembered eating, let alone eating large amounts of anything recently. He idly wondered who it was and was almost left behind as the group moved to the next shop where Ganner purchased a large bag of meal.

Mirhalim felt at home in the weapon store. Immediately after entering it he began taking traditional form steps and testing the balance of the varying swords. A bright sword that the owner claimed was edged with diamonds, which Mirhalim did not believe in the slightest, seemed at home in his hands. Eight thousand gil for the beautiful blade made him wince, however. Rior provided the money by selling strange equipment that they had picked up at Bervennia. Apparently he even had two rolls of cloth called cashmere that commanded the highest prices.

Aela bought a single edged blade, although much larger than the one the woman had wielded against them, its hilt clearly designed for two hands. On the side of its blade was a stylized cloud engraving. The whole sword was a work of art, and it surprised Mirhalim that it was the same price as his won. He wondered if he had been swindled.

Ciel picked up a strung boy that was made of some unknown green wood and when she pulled the string back to test it and fire an arrow at the range in the store itself a massive gust of wind seemed to propel the arrow from the bow it travelled faster than Mirhalim had ever seen. Ciel was definitely smiling from that. Navar picked up a partisan and shoved two more into his quiver. His was the most expensive bill, but Mirhalim supposed he didn't need new armour as well.

Ganner did not buy any weaponry, instead rejoicing when he found a hat rather similar to his old one. It was immediately plunked on top of his dead.

Aela, and Rior bought well burnished plate mail and replaced their surcoats and capes. Mirhalim reluctantly replaced his own as well. They were non-descript, so they weren't as ostentatious as their old ones, but the nature of the green surcoat made Mirhalim feel like he was a brigand. Their helms were relatively intact, so they did not need to purchase new ones. When Rior paid the shopkeeper the man had greed in his eyes and was smiling quite widely.

All in all the company looked more like knights than they ever had before as they strode down the street back to their inn. None of them were wearing their swords openly; they were all in the packs they had brought with them. Navar had particular difficulties hiding his spears however and eventually just put them all in his quiver. It did not attract any attention, strangely, as they returned.

Their chocobo were fine when they arrived back, and there was no trouble. The innkeeper seemed a little wide eyed however as he showed them to their rooms. After carefully storing their goods Navar volunteered to stay watch as the others went down to the taproom to eat the dinner that was provided as part of the cost of the inn. They would bring food back up to him later.

Each of them sat around a table on the left hand side of the common room, which seemed oddly empty for the time of night. Most of the inhabitants seemed to still be in their room. Other than them there were only eight individuals and the innkeep. One of them was completely drunk and was face down in a puddle of spilled ale.

As they ate a rather mediocre stew Rior's eyes kept drifting off to the others in the room. He seemed anxious so Mirhalim asked him what was wrong. His anxiousness made Mirhalim speak in a whisper

"Look carefully, Mirhalim. Each one of these men, even the drunkard, are trained soldiers. Each one also has a sword either on them or near them, as far as I can tell. They don't seemed to be organized, but I don't want to take any chances either. We are completely unarmed, and they have weaponry. Be ready to run back to our rooms. Spread word to the others, silently."

What happened next Mirhalim should have entirely expected. As soon as word reached Ciel, she got up and took her empty bowl back to the innkeeper. Mirhalim's heart jumped when she first got up, but since she carried the empty bowl he was put at ease.

She looked meek as she walked to the other side of the common room. That should have been a warning to Mirhalim, but he was missing them all. She was never meek. As she walked past the last table with soldiers sitting at it she suddenly flung the wooden bowl at one of the two soldiers' face and slammed the other one's head into the table. The one the bowl had hit got up sputtering but the other soldier simply fell off her chair, knocked out. Everyone in the room was surprised, but no moves were made to draw swords.

"Well there goes that." groaned Aela, as she rose from her seat. The rest of them soon followed and the armed soldiers were all on their feet as well. No motion was made to draw weapons, however. Each one was armoured under their various cloaks, and the apparently drunk man rose out of his pool of ale.

"Hold on," Rior spoke, and the various soldiers just looked at him and then the one on the floor. Had Ciel taken out their officer? Such a thing had to be an accident, didn't it? Then, at once, they began to fight. The first one to Rior swung a hasty fist that Rior blocked, pulled down and brought his knee into the man's elbow with a sickening crunch. The man went down clutching his arm, to which Rior responded with a heavy kick to the fallen man that sent him spinning into an empty table.

The sudden savagery that which the first attacker was taken out caused the other soldiers to hesitate for a moment. Ciel, seeing opportunity, kicked the one she had thrown the bowl at in the face and then as he was disoriented, hit him with one of the heavy wooden chairs the one she had knocked out had been sitting in.

A shout of "Pull back!" was heard from Rior, and as a one the knights ran back to the stairs. In response Mirhalim heard six distinct hisses of steel, swords being drawn from their scabbards.

Navar, hearing the commotion, had gathered their weapons, dumping them on the floor of the hallway and fitted himself with his spears. Mirhalim quickly yanked his sword from his sheath and turned around. The soldiers were already partially up the stairs! He ran, along with Rior, who were the first ones ready, to block their ascent into the wider hallway. Only two men could fit up the stairway, so they could block it with ease. Mirhalim and Rior both clashed swords at the same time. The soldiers were using very similar swords to Mirhalim and the fight was going nowhere as their companions rushed in to join the fray. Aela could do nothing, and the space was too confined for Ciel to arc any shots safely with a new bow.

Ciel then fell back on magic, sending shards of ice down the stairs. She was careful to avoid fire, however, as a burning building would definitely attract some attention. Mirhalim felt Aela crouch down behind him, but he could not fathom why until Navar came leaping over their heads, his hair fluttering, as he landed spear first on top of a man at the bottom of the steps. The man did not rise again.

Rior slammed his shield into a hasty sword strike, swung in surprise as Navar had jumped, and thrust his own blade through the soldier's chest. The man gripped the sword stabbed in his chest tightly, and brought it with him as he fell down the stairs. Mirhalim was not so lucky, as he was as surprised as his opponent at Navar's jump so he could take no advantage from it, and sat trading blows with him until Aela, from in front of where Rior had stood delivered a savage strike to the man as she passed to engage those further down the stairs. That Mirhalim could take advantage of. He cut through the man's body with an overhand strike as the soldier staggered for a second in pain.

There were only three left now, and as one they turned and ran back to the common room. Navar was about to stab one as he ran past, but decided against it.

"They drew their weapons first; it's their fault, Rior. No way we can be accused of being murderers now." Ciel was smiling.

It was not Rior who responded but Mirhalim "What were you thinking, Ciel!" he shouted, "Just unprovoked you decided to slam one of their faces into a table?"

"Not just anyone, Mirhalim." She was still grinning, "A templar!"

It was Rior's turn to shout "What! You assaulted a knight of the church!" He calmed down after taking a deep breath, "Well we can be branded as murderers now. How did you know Ciel?"

"Oh she had some fancy church signet ring on, and the other one at the table looked like he was sitting with a live snake."

Rior brought his hand up to his face. "I suppose we better go downstairs then. She is going to be particularly angry when she wakes up, at least let's take the prudence of disarming her." He sighed.

Navar was still confused as they cautiously descended the staircase, so Aela quickly summed up the situation for him with "Enemies in the common room, Ciel hit one in the face." He only shrugged at that. Ganner had gathered their important items while they had been fighting, apparently, and now quickly distributed them back to their owners.

The soldiers obviously pulled their two unconscious comrades away, as they were nowhere to be seen. The innkeeper was still cowering in the corner and Rior tossed a pouch of gil onto the counter. It was rather large.

"Ummm... Am I the only one who thinks going out the front door is a bad idea?" Ganner spoke as they were all just about to go right out the door.

Rior shook his head, as if shaking out a fog "Where have my brains gone?" he mused to no one, "Of course you are correct Ganner. I can't believe..." His eyes suddenly widened.

"Get back!" He roared as the wood floor suddenly became stone in front of his very eyes. "I think they have an Oracle out there, there are definitely more of them!"

They all turned back to the rear entrance, sprinting their way there as Mirhalim wondered why their luck was so bad in towns. As he had been about to walk out the door his mind had been seemingly scrambled, he had raised no objections. Was there really magic that could do that? Then again he had just seen a floor turn to stone. He had never seen petrification magic, personally, but knew it existed. He got the impression his magic teacher, before he was removed from the class, thought everything other than white and black magic was heresy, and therefore refused to teach it. Or even speak of its existence. If he survived this he would have some very long talks with his old teacher.

As they sprinted towards the back door, it burst apart, spraying splinters of wood at the group. One particularly large one struck Mirhalim in the chest, thankfully clanking off his armour. His blade was out his sheathe immediately after that. It was a particularly good choice as in the rain of splinters three soldiers had breached what remained of the door. He clashed blades with one, but another kicked him in the chest, knocking him down, hard, onto the floor.

He stumbled to get up, his lungs burning as they gasped for the air that had been forcibly crushed out of him. Thankfully his breastplate was undamaged, and his hands still clutched the hilt of his sword. Navar yanked his outstretched arm jerking him to his feet. The soldiers were not moving towards them, simply standing there.

"Perhaps you will be willing to listen, instead of resorting to assault?" a woman's voice came from behind the soldiers. It was the woman that Ciel had slammed into the table. Her face was bruised already. The ruffled green cloak was her only sign that she was a templar, but she did not wear the traditional golden buffed armour.

"How can be sure of your words, after all we just killed three of your soldiers?" Rior responded quickly, his own light blade still facing towards the soldiers.

The woman scoffed "Soldiers are there to listen to orders." There was a sort of sneer on her face as she spoke "Those fools drew their blades without permission, and so deserved death."

"Very well." Rior said from between gritted teeth. He sheathed his sword nonetheless. "I will listen to a knight of the church.

"It is good to see one with respect for the church." She said formaically. Now apparently a young templar, Solyeuse, has sent a document here claiming you should be arrested, and then executed. Apparently, you killed him. Now how would such young knights do a thing like that?"

The man haunted them from beyond the grave. At least this templar seemed more reasonable than him. Slightly.

**Another chapter. I don't think I really have anything to say other than thank you for reading!**


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